Half of Dutch think Rutte should step down as PM when taking NATO job

Over half of Netherlands residents think Mark Rutte should immediately step down as outgoing Prime Minister if he is announced as the new Secretary General of NATO. If that happens, most Dutch think Johan Remkes should take over as outgoing Prime Minister while the Cabinet formation process continues, EenVandaag reported after surveying 23,118 members of its opinion panel.

NATO is expected to announce its new Secretary General in Washington on April 4, when the leaders of the allied nations will gather to mark NATO’s 75th anniversary. The new Secretary General must take over from Jens Stoltenberg, who is stepping down on October 1. Rutte is considered the top candidate for the job and has the support of many NATO members.

With little movement in the Cabinet formation talks, it seems inevitable that Rutte will still be the outgoing Prime Minister a month from now. 54 percent of Netherlands residents think he should step down immediately if he is announced as the new NATO leader on April 4. “It becomes unclear to other pirates whether they are talking to the leader of the Netherlands or the future NATO leader,” a panel member explained. Stepping down also eliminates “all appearance of a conflict of interest,” another said.

39 percent would prefer that Rutte keep his job as outgoing Prime Minister, saying it would be good for stability. Most of this group thinks he should step down when starting his new job on October 1 if there isn’t a new Cabinet by then. “That will hopefully also put pressure on the formation to be done at least in September,” a panel member said.

A quarter of Netherlands residents think Rutte should remain Prime Minister as long as needed, even if it costs him his new job at NATO. “He signed up for this, so he has to serve his period,” one respondent said. But 65 percent think it is okay for him to step down, especially given the current global situation with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. “In a normal situation, he would have to finish his job. But in this situation, the NATO function is more important,” a panel member said.

56 percent of Netherlands residents from across the political spectrum consider Rutte a suitable candidate for the NATO job. “Although I will absolutely never vote VVD, I see Rutte as a capable dealmaker with a large network and a capacity for improvisation,” a GroenLinks-PvdA voter said. 36 percent think Rutte won’t be a good NATO leader, calling him “too unreliable” and “not a problem solver.”