Dutch PM Mark Rutte announces he’s leaving politics

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Monday he would leave politics after the next election, following his government’s collapse last Friday.

“On Sunday I decided that I will not be available as a leader for the VVD in the upcoming elections,” Rutte told the Dutch parliament Monday.

After the Cabinet collapse late last week, Rutte said he still had the “energy and ideas” to continue, but this weekend he decided to put an end to his 17 years as leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). “I do this with mixed feelings, with emotions. I love the team dearly. But it feels right.” 

As one of Europe’s veteran leaders, Rutte has been linked with a number of top jobs outside the Netherlands, including at NATO and the EU. But Rutte said Monday that he’s not interested in an international top job.

The outgoing prime minister is currently teaching social studies once a week at a local school in The Hague. “Maybe I will do that for a few days,” Rutte added.

Rutte, who has been leading the Netherlands since 2010, is the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history.

This story is being updated.