King Willem-Alexander, Current Events 3: Dec 2020- Aug 2023

[iceflower]

King Willem-Alexander paid a working visit to the Twente region today, June 28:


https://www.rexfeatures.com/set/13988782

https://www.anpfoto.nl//search.pp?eventid=7386857

https://www.ppe-agency.com/show.php?zoektype=2&search=28-06-2023 Twente

 

[An Ard Ri]

The King presided over a Swearing in Ceremony at the Noordeinde Palace today.

https://www.ppe-agency.com/show.php?start=0&zoektype=2&search=29-06-2023 The

 

[Somebody]

I assume he was swearing in new ambassadors.

 

[Somebody]

I wonder where the king is at the moment as his last official activity was on July 1 and the next one in the agenda is August 31, while he is needed tonight to accept the fall of the cabinet (current government).

It seems that the prime minister purposefully made this the most likely outcome of this week as two days ago he made clear that no delay in a migration agreement would be accepted and suddenly announced a 'vote in the council of ministers' on the issue of asylum, which is extremely rare as they normally govern by consensus. Two of the four parties (conservative-liberals (VVD) and christian democrates (CDA)) want to restrict the number of asylum seekers by delaying family reunion by several years while the other two parties (progressive liberals (D66) and christian union (CU)) are (principally) opposed to these measures. In numbers this group is a very small part of foreigners coming to the Netherlands -as most are foreign workers, which is something both VVD (business: highly-skilled people and cheap labor needed) and CDA (farmers: cheap labor needed) promote- but has a strong symbolic value, while some consider the current rules as an 'attractive feature' for refugees to pick the Netherlands over other countries and want to deter them before they even arrive (which seems unlikely based on the current numbers).

However, the fall itself is not a surprise as since the provincial elections in March people were mostly wondering WHEN it would take place instead of IF it would take place. Nonetheless, most would probably have expected the nitrogen crisis to be the trigger (but the party who might have used that as the trigger (the christian democtrats; CDA) is the least interested in elections as they will only loose more seats) instead of asylum - which is a very convenient theme for the pm's liberal party (VVD).

It hasn't been officially announced as the last formal meeting of all ministers is to take place in about 20 minutes. Afterwards the prime minister will have to inform the king and an announcement can be made. Elections are expected to take place mid-November (due to the summer and fall/autumn holiday). So, in the Hague they are already talking about a standstill of about year with a new coalition government expected in Spring or Summer of next year...

Edit: It has been confirmed that the king is on holiday, so I assume the meeting between prime minister and king will be via video conferencing.

 

[Somebody]

It's official. The PM says that he will send a letter to the king and Parliament to offer their resignation; made sure the king was informed throughout today and will have a longer conversation with him tomorrow.

Sources report that the king will return from holiday tomorrow because of the current situation/political crisis. On Monday parliament will return from their 'recess'/summer break (that only started today) to discuss the situation with the prime minister (and at least the vice prime ministers - of the other three parties I suppose).

 

[Marengo]

I believe they are usually away from the beginning of July to the end of August.

I am not sure why the King needs to go home for this. Esp. now the King has been taken out of the formation process. They mentioned the King's return in the opinion show 'Renze', in front of a table filled with -right-wing- opinion makers. They simply chuckled.

Prinsjesdag will be farcical this year. The elections will probably be held one or two months later. And if the last formations are anything to go by there will be no functioning government from now until summer 2024. That means that the King will have nothing to say in his speech as no new policies can be expected. They should consider skipping a year as it will look even more like an absurd piece of theatre than it already does (not helped by the fact that they are organising it in an actual theatre).

The PM has made sure that the whole country will be held in a limbo now none of the unsolved problems and crisises can be worked on until a new government is formed. Absolutely wreckless and irresponsible concidering all that is going on.

Although with the current polls it appears that the PM's 'reign' will outlast that of the King, I do feel the RF would benefit from a change in PM as well. This PMs laissez-faire attitude has done the RF no favours at all and has enabled and allowed the King to stack one gaffe on top of the next one.

 

[Marengo]

The Prime Minister visited Huis ten Bosch this morning to hand in his resignation.The PM seems to be in campaign mode already, arriving to the palace in the oldest station wagon he could find, which he drove himself.

https://nos.nl/collectie/13942/live...itie-trapt-voorzichtig-verkiezingscampagne-af

He wrote his resignation letter on Friday already but he will now give the King a personal explanation. I am not sure why. The explanation the PM cooked up seems to be believed by very few people. The most common explanation is that the prime minister torpedoed his own government on a triviality for electoral gain.

 

[Somebody]

The king arrived this morning; the prime minister arrived around 1 pm and stayed for a little over an hour.

Arrival of the prime minister (when leaving he was asked why he didn't arrive by bike )

It would be interesting to listen in on their conversation because indeed, while this issue is one that divided the parties, it seems to have been the VVD who decided that this was the issue they wanted to cause the fall of the coalition government as this is the best topic for them to campaign on for the next elections. The Prime Minister indicated that he will most likely be the party leader for the next elections as well (although he will take a few days to consider before officially announcing), hoping to lead his 5th coalition government (next time probably right wing again, just like his first) after the elections.

 

[Marengo]

The King apparently flew from Cartagena, Colombia. So the family must be vacationing there and not in Greece.

https://www.rtlboulevard.nl/video/t...j-val-van-kabinet-rutte-niet-griekenland-maar

 

[maria-olivia]

The King came back to his country certainly necause he knew Mark Rutte since he is King. Well done !

 

[Somebody]

The King came back to his country certainly necause he knew Mark Rutte since he is King. Well done !

What do you mean that he came back because he knew Mark Rutte?

I'd say he came back because the coalition government fell rather unexpectedly (the king most likely didn't expect it when they left on holiday) and as head of state he considered it his duty to return to the Netherlands during such a political crisis. He is the one to discharge the ministers and request them to stay on in a demissionary status until the new government is formed after the election (that's the difference between 'accepting' (now) and 'granting' (when new government is formed). In addition, parliament still needs to be dissolved by the government, so new elections can be planned.

 

[lucien]

The King came back to his country certainly necause he knew Mark Rutte since he is King. Well done !

Sorry?You mix up personal relations and politics.One has nothing to do with the other except that HM needs to be informed by the PM when a government falls,that is all.

 

[An Ard Ri]

I thought the king was looking nice and tanned at the Huis ten Bosch.

The king probably felt it was best that he returned or else he was advised to do so.

 

[SLV]

I thought the king was looking nice and tanned at the Huis ten Bosch.



The king probably felt it was best that he returned or else he was advised to do so.

He had to come back to receive the dismissal of gouvernement. There was no choice. It is how the rules work.
All the members of the Second Chamber have to come back from recess too.

 

[maria-olivia]

The King had to came back from his holidays because of the unexpected situation of his country . the only Prime Minister he knows is Mark Rutte . My post was not clear .

Sorry?You mix up personal relations and politics.One has nothing to do with the other except that HM needs to be informed by the PM when a government falls,that is all.

 

[Katymcwaity]

Whatever happens, the King will have to get to know a new prime minister

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...collapse-of-government?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

[Somebody]

The King had to came back from his holidays because of the unexpected situation of his country . the only Prime Minister he knows is Mark Rutte . My post was not clear .

Now I understand what you were trying to say: the only prime minister during his reign as king has been Mark Rutte. However, of course he knew many prime ministers before Mark Rutte as well while his mother was still queen and he probably also met prime ministers serving under his grandmother.

 

[doro]

Now I understand what you were trying to say: the only prime minister during his reign as king has been Mark Rutte. However, of course he knew many prime ministers before Mark Rutte as well while his mother was still queen and he probably also met prime ministers serving under his grandmother.

Mark rutte is PM since when Willem Alexander was Prince of Orange

 

[Somebody]

Mark rutte is PM since when Willem Alexander was Prince of Orange

That's not true; while he was prime minister at the day of the abdication/inauguration, Willem-Alexander became prince of Orange in 1980:

30 April 1980 (inauguration of his mother) - 4 November 1982: Dries van Agt (CDA)
4 November 1982 - 22 August 1994: Ruud Lubbers (CDA)
22 August 1994 - 22 July 2002: Wim Kok (PvdA)
22 July 2002 - 14 October 2010: Jan Peter Balkenende (CDA)
14 October 2010 - now: Mark Rutte (VVD)

So, during his mother's reign (while the current king was the heir), there were 5 different prime ministers (from 3 different parties) of which Mark Rutte was the last. One prime minister that was very important for him personally was Wim Kok who was prime minister when he asked Máxima to marry him while there were serious issues related to her father that needed to be managed. Had that not been properly managed by PM Wim Kok he might have given up the throne for her...

Since his birth while his grandmother was queen, in addition to Van Agt, there were three other prime ministers:
5 April 1967 - 6 July 1971: Piet de Jong (KVP --> merged into CDA in 1980)
6 July 1971 - 11 May 1973: Barend Biesheuvel (ARP --> merged into CDA in 1980)
11 May 1973 - 19 December 1977: Joop den Uyl (PvdA)
After him Dries van Agt (see above; then KVP) took over.

 

[Marengo]

The King received the chairwoman of parlament - Vera Bergkamp- in Huis ten Bosch palace monday evening. Bergkamp requested an audience to discuss the debate in parlament about the colapse of the cabinet.

https://www.vorsten.nl/vorstenhuizen/koning-krijgt-bezoek-van-tweede-kamervoorzitter-vera-bergkamp/

 

[An Ard Ri]

The King received the new Dutch new Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Marielle Paul at the Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague.

https://www.ppe-agency.com/show.php?zoektype=2&search=21-07-2023 HtB

 

[Marengo]

It's time to close this thread. You can find the new one here.