The Dutch government has resigned amid an escalating scandal over child benefits in which more than 20,000 families were wrongly accused of fraud by the tax authority.
The move came less than a month before parliament was due to break up ahead of general elections scheduled for March 17. Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s cabinet is to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new coalition is formed after that vote. Rutte said "mistakes were made" in handling the scandal, and took full responsibility.
It remains to be seen whether opposition parties can take advantage of the scandal.
Polls suggest Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy will win a fourth term in the election, with public opinion still largely backing him. The center-right party is polling at just under 30% of the vote, more than twice that of the second-place party, Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam Freedom Party.
[FULL STORY HERE]
World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment