Mark Rutte the frontrunner in race for NATO leadership

Mark Rutte is currently in the lead in the race to succeed Jens Stoltenburg as the leader of NATO next year, sources told Bloomberg.

The outgoing Dutch Prime Minister has edged past the other two candidates - Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins. And while other candidates can still come forward, Rutte already has the support of many allies, according to Bloomberg’s sources.

After the collapse of his fourth Cabinet, Rutte announced that he would not run for Prime Minister or leader of his party, the VVD, again. He would leave Dutch politics for a while after 13 years as Prime Minister - the longest serving in Dutch history.

Stoltenberg, who has led NATO since 2014, will step down in October 2024. That might be a tight deadline for Rutte if he wants to finish his current stint as outgoing Dutch Prime Minister before starting his new job.

The Dutch parliamentary elections are today. Once the results are in, the parties will start negotiating to form a governing coalition. The previous government formation took nearly 11 months after the election on 17 March 2021. The Rutte IV Cabinet was sworn in on 10 January 2022.