July 8 (UPI) — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte spoke with King Willem-Alexander at his official Huis ten Bosch residence in The Hague Saturday following the collapse of the Netherlands government over immigration policy.
Rutte didn’t speak to reporters following his hour-long conversation with the King as the country reacted to the prime minister’s announcement late Friday that he is resigning and his cabinet would be dissolved.
“The King has considered the resignation and asked that the prime minister, ministers and state secretaries continue to carry out the duties they consider necessary to the interests of the Kingdom in a caretaker capacity,” the government said in an official statement.
Rutte submitted the resignation of his fourth cabinet in writing on Friday evening following four hours of emergency consultations between the four parties making up the governing coalition.
The decision was reached to dissolve the cabinet after the partners could not reach agreement on a proposed package of immigration measures, with Rutte’s conservative VVD Party and the smallest government party, Christian Union, being “diametrically opposed,” participants said.
Rutte’s party had proposed measures to limit the flow of asylum seekers after reports emerged of overcrowded migration centers, but those proposals were opposed the junior coalition members, the BBC reported.
Deputy Prime Ministers Carola Schouten of the Christian Union and Sigrid Kaag of the D66 Party told reporters the fall of the Rutte’s fourth cabinet was “inevitable,” given the intractable disagreement over the imposition of a stricter immigrant asylum policy.
The move marked the the third time Rutte has submitted his resignation as prime minister to the King.
Dutch opposition parties have called for new elections, which are likely to be held in November.