Mark Rutte, now former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, said goodbye to the post he has held since 2010.
In a speech held at De Torentje, the longest-serving PM made his final official address to the Dutch people on Saturday.
“One of the most important things I learned as Prime Minister is that doing your best and doing everything well are two very different things.”
“Cool country”
Indeed, Rutte has caught a lot of flack for his actions as PM (and he’s certainly aware of it).
In his farewell speech, Rutte reminisced about the “good” and the “bad”, recalling the Netherlands’ economic recovery in 2012 and 2013, the coronavirus pandemic, the MH17 incident, and the toeslagenaffaire (childcare benefits scandal).
But of course, he also thanked the Dutch people for the opportunity: “The Netherlands is a cool country.[…] I was honoured to be your Prime Minister. And I did it with incredible pleasure. Thanks, thank you, thank you.”
But what is Rutte up to now? Jumping from one prestigious post to another, apparently.
Taking up the NATO mantle
Mark Rutte was nominated as the new secretary general of NATO by the North Atlantic Council, taking over from Jens Stoltenberg of Norway on October 1, 2024.
He gained early support from key NATO members, including France, Germany, the United States, and Britain, and has voiced support for Ukraine and strengthened ties with Kosovo and the Balkans more broadly.
How will you remember Rutte?
The long-time leader sure leaves behind a laidback, nonchalant legacy.
From taking selfies with world leaders:
Mark Rutte will be NATO’s new Secretary General 🇳🇱 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/GNQLZfVVGS
— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz) June 26, 2024
To casually greeting civilians:
The last hurrah: my (attempt to) doorstep Mark Rutte as he was leaving his last European Council summit. pic.twitter.com/GKrjouG5zp
— Lili Bayer (@liliebayer) June 27, 2024
And getting interview-crashed by other politicians:
Franse president Emmanuel Macron neemt nog even afscheid van premier Mark Rutte na EU-top: pic.twitter.com/mrASaFOxvR
— Alexander Bakker (@alexanderbakker) June 27, 2024
Translation: “French President Emmanuel Macron says goodbye to Prime Minister Mark Rutte after the EU summit”
Mark Rutte goes down in history as the longest-serving Dutch Prime Minister and just another chill guy.
Now, it’s our turn to say tot ziens, Mark!
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