Mark Rutte wants to be the party leader of the VVD for the fifth time in the elections in March. After fourteen years of party leadership and ten years in the Torentje, he hopes to be able to become prime minister again. “I really want to be prime minister of this beautiful country for another four years.”
Rutte (53) announced his candidacy on Friday evening via Twitter and in an interview with De Telegraaf. “My belief is that I have the ideas and the energy to continue.” He emphasizes that he is also prepared to lead the VVD faction in the House of Representatives, should the VVD not enter the next cabinet. He will not go on campaign for the time being, he also says. “Right now, corona takes all of my time, energy and focus. Getting the virus under control is number one. ”
He also sees the greatest political challenge for the coming period in the fight against viruses. “We are 17 million people trying to get over the mountain, with a map that only partially shows us the way. I want to lead this trial. ”
His candidacy no longer comes as a surprise to anyone, now that all potential competition both within and outside the VVD has for the time being checked. Until a year ago, his current third cabinet seemed to be detracting from Rutte’s popularity among voters. Direct electoral competitors such as the CDA, D66 and Forum for Democracy saw opportunities to beat the VVD. Fvd even succeeded in this in the provincial elections of 2019. Since the outbreak of the corona crisis, however, they are again at a great disadvantage and Rutte has returned to his top level of 2012 in the electoral favor. Only Geert Wilders’ PVV is still somewhat in the polls. the neighbourhood. But Wilders is not a serious competitor for the Torentje: too many parties do not want to rule with him in principle.
Longest-serving prime minister
If Rutte manages to win the elections one more time and then form a cabinet, the chance that he will enter the history books as the longest-serving Dutch prime minister will grow considerably. He now has to tolerate Willem Drees (PvdA), Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (RKSP) and Ruud Lubbers (CDA). The latter is the longest serving to date, with 11 years and 291 days in the Torentje. Rutte was there for exactly ten years on 14 October. He is now also one of the longest-serving VVD leaders. In this he only has to put up with Pieter Oud, who led the party for fifteen years between 1948 and 1963.
All speculation about Rutte’s approaching farewell to the Binnenhof has also disappeared for a while since he did not make a serious bid last year at the presidency of the European Commission or the European Council of government leaders. At the time, it was taken into account that he would be succeeded within the VVD by party chairman Klaas Dijkhoff or former minister Edith Schippers, but those scenarios have also been canceled for the time being. Dijkhoff recently announced that he will not be elected in March. He does not say whether he is available for a ministerial position. Schippers is now president of chemical company DSM Nederland. The VVD is still hoping for her return to the Binnenhof, although that will not be as party leader as long as Rutte wants to continue.
