The Hague, January 15. / TASS /. The entire government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands resigns over the child support scandal. This was announced on Friday at a press conference by Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
According to him, the official resignation letter to King Willem-Alexander will be submitted later on Friday.
“The state failed to fulfill its obligations to protect the weak, there was a serious failure,” Rutte said, explaining the decision to resign. “Innocent people were recognized as malefactors, their lives were destroyed, and the parliament was incorrectly and not fully informed about it.”
In mid-December last year, a parliamentary committee released the results of an investigation that showed that many parents were wrongly accused by the Dutch State Tax and Customs Administration of abusing the child benefit system. The document notes that mistakes were made in relation to at least 9 thousand families, but in fact there may be many more. The blame for the situation is laid on ministers, civil servants, parliament members and even the courts, which did not help families in extremely difficult financial situations after they were ordered to pay back the funds received earlier, and sometimes fines, to the state treasury. In some cases, people lost their homes, jobs and custody of their children.
“If the whole system fails, we should all be held accountable for it,” Rutte said. According to him, the country needs a new system of benefits. “This situation should not happen again,” the prime minister added.
Not without controversy
The next general election is scheduled for March 17 in the Netherlands. No changes are expected regarding the date of the voting.
The four parties that were part of the ruling coalition agreed that the cabinet of ministers will continue to function fully on the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and others that are not considered controversial. The solution of complex issues not related to the pandemic will be postponed until a new government is formed after the March elections.
The only exception is the Minister of Economy and Climate Eric Vibes, who separately resigned and immediately leaves his post. Cora van Niuenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, will temporarily assume his duties.
In the expert community, the decision to resign was received ambiguously. Some political analysts believe that the government had no choice but to resign. Other analysts draw attention to the fact that the step is essentially symbolic given the upcoming elections in two months, and the country, which is going through difficult times due to the coronavirus pandemic, in the meantime, needs full-fledged leadership.
Changes were made to the news (17:20 Moscow time) – information on the text was added.
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