Mark Rutte by hou2use

hou2use about Mark Rutte

Unique sustainable portrait of Mark Rutte hand-painted with paint residue on waste wood

Mark Rutte (The Hague, February 14, 1967) is a Dutch politician. He has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of General Affairs since October 14, 2010, making him the longest-serving Prime Minister in Dutch history. He is also the political leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).

In his student days, Rutte was already politically active as chairman of the political youth organization JOVD and later a member of the VVD party executive. In 2002, he made the real transition to national politics when he became state secretary of Social Affairs and then of Education, Culture and Science in the first and second Balkenende governments. After the fall of that cabinet, Rutte narrowly won the list leader election from Rita Verdonk, who as number two garnered more votes in that year's elections. After losing in those Lower House elections, Rutte joined the Lower House as a group leader in opposition.

In the 2010 House of Representatives elections, the VVD with party leader Rutte narrowly became the largest party, and the first Rutte Cabinet was then formed, together with the CDA and with tacit support from the PVV. That cabinet fell when the PVV gave up its tacit support after a year and a half. In the 2012 elections, Rutte led the VVD to a record number of seats. The Rutte II cabinet, in which the VVD took its place with the PvdA, became the longest-serving cabinet since World War II. After the 2017 elections, the VVD again became the largest party, after which the Rutte III cabinet was formed with the CDA, D66 and the Christian Union. This cabinet resigned in 2021 due to the surcharge affair, but the same parties formed the Rutte IV cabinet together after a record-length formation in 2022.