Rutte Facing Crisis As 'Verkennersgate' Threatens His Return As PM

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is facing a significant challenge to his potential fourth term in office, with a scandal involving scouts from his party seeking to form a new coalition and the position of an outspoken CDA deputy risking a vote of no confidence.

• Following the 15-17 March general election, scouts from Rutte's VVD and the second largest party, the liberal D66, are seeking to put together a coalition gov't. These scouts are known as 'verkenners' in Dutch.
• Last week, D66 verkenner Kajsa Ollongren was diagnosed with COVID-19 and left the parliamentary estate immediately. As she was leaving she was photographed holding a number of paper notes. On one of these notes supposedly was the handwritten comment '"Pieter Omtzigt: function elsewhere".
• Usually, verkenners in their job as scouts seek to sound out party leaders for potential coalition combinations, so it would be unusual to discuss individual deputies.
• The deputy in question, though, is Pieter Omtzigt, from the centrist Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). Omtzigt is seen as an outspoken backbencher, and was a key whistleblower in unveiling the child benefits scandal that brought down the Rutte gov't prior to the election.
• Opposition parties have cried foul, alleging that Rutte is attempting to force the hand of the CDA into moving Omtzigt on from being a member of parliament, or that CDA head Wopke Hoekstra is attempting to sideline a potential rival for the party leadership after a poor election result.
• A debate is taking place in the House of Representatives presently on the scandal, with all papers, notes and other materials on coalition negotiations available for deputies to see. Initially Rutte stated that he was not the one to discuss Omtzigt in the coalition talks, but the released notes would supposedly indicate otherwise.
• Some parties including the far-left Socialists, Muslim interest DENK, and far-right Party for Freedom have called for Rutte's resignation as PM, arguing he is abusing his position. Rutte may end up losing his position as head of the VVD a result of the scandal, or potentially snap elections called if Rutte does not go but a new coalition can't be formed.