Mark Rutte

Prime Minister of the Netherlands

14 February 1967 The Hague, South Holland, Netherlands

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Incumbent

50th Prime Minister of the Netherlands "Rutte" redirects here. For other uses, see Rutte (disambiguation). Mark RutteRutte in 2017Prime Minister of the NetherlandsIncumbentAssumed office 14 October 2010MonarchBeatrix Willem-AlexanderDeputyMaxime Verhagen Lodewijk Asscher Hugo de Jonge Kajsa Ollongren Carola SchoutenPreceded by Jan Peter BalkenendeLeader of the People's Party for Freedom and DemocracyIncumbentAssumed office 31 May 2006Preceded by Jozias van AartsenState Secretary for Education, Culture and ScienceIn office 17 June 2004 – 27 June 2006Prime Minister Jan Peter BalkenendePreceded by Annette NijsSucceeded by Bruno BruinsState Secretary for Social Affairs and EmploymentIn office 22 July 2002 – 17 June 2004Prime Minister Jan Peter BalkenendePreceded by Hans Hoogervorst Annelies VerstandSucceeded by Henk van HoofMember of the House of RepresentativesIncumbentAssumed office 31 March 2021In office 23 March 2017 – 26 October 2017In office 20 September 2012 – 5 November 2012In office 28 June 2006 – 14 October 2010In office 30 January 2003 – 27 May 2003 Personal detailsBorn (1967-02-14 ) 14 February 1967 (age 54) The Hague, South Holland, NetherlandsPolitical partyPeople's Party for Freedom and DemocracyResidenceCatshuis (officially)EducationLeiden University (BA, MA)SignatureWebsiteOfficial website Mark Rutte AC (Dutch:  ( listen ) ; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician serving as Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010 and Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) since 2006. After a business career working for Unilever, Rutte entered politics in 2002 on his appointment as State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), after a coalition agreement guaranteed the VVD several seats in the cabinet. Rutte was subsequently elected to the House of Representatives at the 2003 election. In 2004, he became State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science during the second Balkenende cabinet. After municipal elections in 2006 saw heavy losses for the VVD, the party's leader, Jozias van Aartsen, announced his resignation. Rutte stood in the subsequent leadership election, and was elected on 31 May, resigning from his cabinet post shortly afterwards. Rutte led the VVD into the 2006 election just weeks later; although the VVD lost six seats, they still became the second-largest opposition party. At the 2010 election, Rutte led the VVD to win the highest number of votes cast, resulting in them becoming the largest party in the House of Representatives for the first time in the party's history. After lengthy coalition negotiations, Rutte was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Netherlands on 14 October 2010. He was the first liberal to be appointed Prime Minister in 92 years, and also the second-youngest Prime Minister in Dutch history. An impasse on budget negotiations led to his government's early collapse in April 2012, but the subsequent election saw the VVD win its highest number of seats ever, with Rutte returning as Prime Minister to lead to a coalition between the VVD and the Labour Party. This cabinet became the first to see out a full four-year term since 1998, and although at the 2017 election the VVD lost seats, it remained the largest party. After a record-length formation period, Rutte was appointed to lead to a new coalition between the VVD, CDA, D66 and CU; he was sworn-in for his third term as Prime Minister on 26 October 2017. Rutte and his entire cabinet offered its resignation on 15 January 2021 in response to a scandal relating to false allegations of child welfare fraud by the Dutch tax authorities. Rutte remained in office through the 2021 election, leading the VVD to finish first for the fourth consecutive election. He remains the caretaker Prime Minister and is expected to serve a fourth term. At 10 years and 307 days, Rutte is the second-longest serving Prime Minister in Dutch history after Ruud Lubbers.