From Local Politics To The Prime Ministership

Mark Rutte: A Decade of Dutch Leadership

From Local Politics to the Prime Ministership

Mark Rutte was born on February 14, 1967, in The Hague, Netherlands. He studied history at the University of Leiden and later worked as a personnel manager at Unilever. Rutte entered politics in 2002, when he was elected to the Amsterdam city council as a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). In 2006, he was elected to the Dutch House of Representatives.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands

In 2010, Rutte became Prime Minister of the Netherlands, leading a coalition government of the VVD and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). He has since won re-election in 2012, 2017, and 2021, making him the longest-serving Prime Minister in Dutch history.

Rutte's Record as Prime Minister

During his time as Prime Minister, Rutte has overseen a number of significant changes in Dutch society. These include: * The legalization of same-sex marriage in 2001 * The introduction of a new system of healthcare in 2006 * The implementation of austerity measures in 2010 * The reduction of the national budget deficit from 5.3% to 0.7% in 2016 * The increase in the number of working women in the Netherlands from 65% to 75% in 2017 * The reduction in the unemployment rate from 8.4% to 3.7% in 2018 * The increase in the number of international students in the Netherlands from 100,000 to 150,000 in 2019