The Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and leader of the left-liberal D66 Sigrid Kaag resigns after a motion of censure in parliament regarding the chaotic evacuation operation in Afghanistan. The entire government had already resigned.
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Sigrid Kaag (D66), the big winner of the parliamentary elections in the Netherlands in March, is not experiencing her best days. Tonight she decided to resign as resigning foreign minister, after the House of Representatives passed a motion of censure against her.
That came after she made a bad turn in the House of Representatives on Wednesday during a particularly fierce debate about how the government had evacuated embassy personnel from Kabul after the Taliban took power. Minister of Defense Anke Bijleveld (CDA) also did not make a good turn.
A motion of censure does not oblige a minister to resign. Still, Kaag decided to do that last night. ‘The House considers that the government has acted irresponsibly. I can’t help but accept the consequences. The minister must go if the policy is disapproved,” she said.
The motion received 78 votes in favor and 72 against. The ruling party ChristenUnuie voted in favor of the motion with the entire opposition. The governing parties VVD (liberal right), D66 and CDA (Christian Democratic) voted against.
‘Accept judgment’
‘The House considers that the government has acted irresponsibly. Although I stand by our commitment, as the minister with ultimate responsibility I cannot but accept the consequences of this judgment’, Kaag responded to the House on Thursday. ‘In my view on democracy and culture of our government, a minister should go if the policy is disapproved.’
“The commitment to Afghanistan continues. Even without me. I am convinced that the staff of Foreign Affairs and Defense will continue their excellent work unabated. I thank them here for everything they have done and will continue to do.” a statement.
With her dismissal, Kaag also wants to make it clear that she is consistent when she stands for a new kind of leadership. But with her straightforwardness she makes few friends. In a lecture two weeks ago, she lashed out at the way Prime Minister Rutte has governed the country in recent years. She spoke of ‘crackling and arranging without vision’. Rutte did not react to it, but it is clear that the atmosphere between the two is very bad. And it is precisely the two of them that are crucial in the formation of a new government. Negotiations on this are completely at a standstill. Kaag will remain as party leader of D66. In that role, she will continue talks about a new cabinet.
Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in a reaction that he found Kaag’s departure ‘terrible’. He called Kaag a ‘very big lady’ who is also regarded as a highly regarded diplomat outside the country’s borders. ‘The Netherlands benefited from its globally respected Minister of Foreign Affairs. So this is also a real loss for the Netherlands.’
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