Mark Rutte is poised to become Dutch prime minister for his fourth term after a record-breaking 272 days of coalition talks between the same four conservative and liberal parties that formed his last government.
Rutte, 54, will become the longest-serving Dutch premier if he survives after setting another, unenviable record of running a caretaker government following elections last March.
“I’m glad we’ve made it this far,” he said, just before his 50-page coalition agreement was unveiled to MPs today.
His “deja vu” government, with a majority of just three seats, is composed of his conservative VVD party, the liberal D-66 and two right-wing Christian parties coming together under the slogan “looking after each other and looking ahead to the future”.
“It’s the same parties, the
