‘Baptism of fire’ for new prime minister during strategy debate

Prime minister Mark Rutte is set for ‘baptism by fire’ on Tuesday when he outlines the new government’s strategy for the coming years and opens the two-day debate on the plans, according to most of the morning papers.


It is the first time since World War II that the Netherlands has had a Liberal prime minister, this time as head of a minority government with the Christian Democrats which has the anti-Islam PVV as silent partner on some issues.
Rutte, 43, has one chance to get it right, says the Volkskrant in its analysis.
‘It should be a speech with visionary words but a moderate tone, in particular in its approach to the opposition,’ the paper writes. ‘As a leader of a minority cabinet, he needs to keep the opposition as friends.’
Concessions
The opposition parties have all made it clear they will expect concessions from the government in return for their support on issues not supported by PVV leader Geert Wilders.
‘The SP will support what is good and counter what is bad,’ said Socialist Party leader Emile Roemer in the Volkskrant. ‘We are not against this cabinet for its odd composition but its plans.’
Alexander Pechtold, leader of the Liberal democratic party D66, said he will take a critically-constructive line. ‘I have made plain my moral objections to [the cabinet’s] view of society. But we have to trade. I am going to look for room for my own plans every day this cabinet exists.’
Two passports
Both Geert Wilders, who supports the coalition government, and Labour leader Job Cohen pledged to question Rutte about his position on dual nationality during the debate.
Cohen believes Rutte should apologise to Labour MP Nebahat Albayrak who came under heavy pressure from the VVD leader to give up her Turkish nationality when she became a minister in the last government.
But Rutte said last week he did not see any problems with junior health minister Marlies Veldhuijzen van Zanten holding Dutch and Swedish nationality.
And on Monday it emerged that VVD MP Bart de Liefde also has dual nationality because he was born in London and has a British passport.

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