Dutch PM Rutte says he will not run for fifth term in office

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will not run for a fifth term in office and will leave politics following the elections in November, he said on Monday.

Rutte, the leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD, on Friday handed in the resignation of his fourth cabinet after failing to reach an agreement on stricter migration policies.

“In recent days, there’s been a lot of speculation about what motivated me. The only answer is the Netherlands,” he said in a speech in parliament before a debate on the collapse of the government.

“Yesterday morning I made the decision that I will not again be available as leader of the VVD. Once the new cabinet is formed after the elections, I will leave politics.”

Rutte’s decision will mark the end of his run as the longest-serving government leader in Dutch history. He took over as prime minister in October 2010.

The four-party coalition broke up on Friday evening; the sticking point in the crisis meeting that led to the collapse was a restriction on family reunification for refugees already in the country.

Rutte – long dubbed the “Teflon premier” for his ability to ensure political scandals did not stick to him – said he would stay on in a caretaker capacity until elections, which will not be until mid-November at the earliest.

But he faces a vote in parliament later Monday that will try to topple him as caretaker premier.

Two left-wing opposition parties and the far-right party of anti-Islam leader Geert Wilders have filed a motion of no-confidence in Rutte.

After the next elections, forming a new government is a process which – in the fractured Dutch political landscape – usually takes months.