Dutch PM Resigns, Clears Way For Elections

from National Public Radio

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, is tendering his government's resignation to Queen Beatrix Monday, clearing the way for elections. The decision comes after far-right politician Geert Wilders ended Rutte's majority in Parliament by withdrawing his support for planned budget cuts to meet European Union deficit limits. The government crisis has plunged the Netherlands into political uncertainty just as the eurozone sovereign debt crisis is heating up again. NPR's Philip Reeves has the story.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, April 23, 2012