Following a child welfare scandal, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and his Cabinet have decided to step down. The investigations revealed that thousands of parents were falsely accused of being fraudulent.
Rutte announced this decision during a nationally broadcasted press conference. He also said that King Willem-Alexander has been notified. He promised that his government would ensure the parents – who were wrongly labeled – are compensated promptly. The government announced that 500 million euros will be utilized in compensating over 20,000 parents, and have apologized for the actions of their tax officials.
He explained that he took this decision because he believes that they must be held accountable for their failure. The current cabinet will continue to function – in a caretaker setup – until the next elections in March.
Rutte has been serving as the Prime Minister for the past 10 years. Many political analysts believe that he will win the next term as well.
According to The Associated Press, one of the parents affected by the scandal said that it was important that the government realize the mistake, and takes responsibility for the scandal.
According to Rutte, his government will still be implementing strict rules and regulations to fight against the pandemic. The country is already under a lockdown currently, which is predicted to continue until February 9.
