Outgoing Prime Minister Rutte thinks that the formation has lasted so long because there is no longer a role for the king. He says so in an interview with the Telegraaf.
“What I don’t think has helped is that the king has been removed,” Rutte says about the longest formation ever. “Not that it suddenly takes three months less if you bring it back, but it would help.”
In 2012, the Rules of Procedure were amended, so that from now on the informants are appointed by the House. At the time, a majority of MPs found it undemocratic that the king played a role in the formation of a new cabinet. As a result, Willem Alexander now mainly has a ceremonial function, but Rutte is now questioning this.
It is not clear from the interview why, according to Rutte, the presence of the king could have shortened the formation.
Corona policy and Omtzigt
In the conversation with the Telegraaf, the outgoing prime minister further acknowledges that he has committed a number of mistakes. He refers, among other things, to the corona policy. He agrees that the booster campaign could have started earlier. “I also think you have to conclude that the first corona package from November was not strong enough, the second package was.”
Rutte is also critical of his role in the commotion surrounding MP Pieter Omtzigt. The notes stating that Omtzigt had a “function elsewhere” was the start of a turbulent formation.
“It was long, too long,” says Rutte. “And that is of course not good. It started with that mistake of mine. Moreover, parties had positions with whom they did and did not want to. I support the line that we chose as the VVD. But each party has a responsibility in it. I don’t take it alone.”
Despite the self-criticism, the Netherlands will not see a completely different Rutte in the new cabinet, the outgoing prime minister told De Telegraaf. “It is impossible to reinvent yourself. Like a kind of snake shedding your skin, I don’t believe in that at all,” said Rutte.
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