\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n",
+ "page_last_modified": ""
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "Mark Rutte: The Netherlands\u2019 Mr. Normal",
+ "page_url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/netherlands-general-election-2021-mark-rutte-polls/",
+ "page_snippet": "Everyman style has helped put Dutch PM on cusp of a fourth term.Rutte has led the Netherlands since October 2010 and polls shows his center-right VVD party cruising toward a first-place finish in this week's general election | Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images ... By David M. Herszenhorn and Eline Schaart \u00b7 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has achieved every incumbent politician\u2019s dream: His voters can\u2019t seem to imagine anyone else doing his job, and none of his most serious rivals seem to want it \u2014 at least not during the coronavirus crisis. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has achieved every incumbent politician\u2019s dream: His voters can\u2019t seem to imagine anyone else doing his job, and none of his most serious rivals seem to want it \u2014 at least not during the coronavirus crisis. Rutte has led the Netherlands since October 2010 and polls shows his center-right VVD party cruising toward a first-place finish in this week\u2019s general election, which is taking place over three days due to the pandemic and reaches its climax on Wednesday. The country\u2019s affection for Rutte has led to a rare campaign in the Netherlands built around personality, rather than party or policy. And close associates say that Rutte over the years has come to pay more attention to his image. Jort Kelder, a journalist and long-time friend of Rutte, said that the prime minister \u201cis very aware of the effect of his public appearance, and he is certainly working on it.\u201d Kelder recalled that when Rutte was fighting for the party leadership, he was advised to be more disciplined. Such a big victory would put Rutte on track to form his fourth government and, should his coalition hold until August 2022, to break the record as the longest-serving prime minister in the country\u2019s history. It would also position him to be one of the most senior EU leaders as German Chancellor Angela Merkel nears retirement later this year \u2014 with only Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n able to boast of more years sitting around the European Council table.",
+ "page_result": "\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\nMark Rutte: The Netherlands’ Mr. Normal – POLITICO\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t \t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tSkip to main content\n\t\t\n\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRutte has led the Netherlands since October 2010 and polls shows his center-right VVD party cruising toward a first-place finish in this week's general election | Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tMarch 16, 2021\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t4:00 am CET\t\t\n\t\n\t
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has achieved every incumbent politician\u2019s dream: His voters can\u2019t seem to imagine anyone else doing his job, and none of his most serious rivals seem to want it \u2014 at least not during the coronavirus crisis.
\n\n\n\n
Rutte has led the Netherlands since October 2010 and polls shows his center-right VVD party cruising toward a first-place finish in this week’s general election, which is taking place over three days due to the pandemic and reaches its climax on Wednesday.
\n\n\n\n
When the final votes are tallied, the VVD is expected to win as much as 25 percent of the vote. It is a huge share in a fragmented system in which 15 parties are expected to win at least one of 150 seats in parliament.
\n
\n\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\n
Such a big victory would put Rutte on track to form his fourth government and, should his coalition hold until August 2022, to break the record as the longest-serving prime minister in the country\u2019s history.
\n\n\n\n
It would also position him to be one of the most senior EU leaders as German Chancellor Angela Merkel nears retirement later this year \u2014 with only Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n able to boast of more years sitting around the European Council table.
\n\n\n\n
Analysts attribute the VVD\u2019s success in part to a craving among the electorate for stability and a steady hand at the helm during the pandemic \u2014 even if Rutte’s handling of the crisis has been decidedly mixed.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn these uncertain times, people seem to overwhelmingly choose stability, continuity and experience. You don\u2019t let people who have never piloted a Boeing fly one for the first time in stormy weather,\u201d said Jan Driessen, Rutte\u2019s former campaign adviser.
\n\n\n\n
Scandals leave no mark
\n\n\n\n
Rutte\u2019s longevity is also the result of his success in brushing off crises and scandals, including a controversy over child benefits, in which thousands of parents were wrongly accused of fraud. That scandal prompted his government to resign in January, and Rutte to assume caretaker status.
\n\n\n\n
In typical everyman fashion, Rutte rode his bicycle to deliver the resignation to King Willem-Alexander. And rather than suffering any fallout from the benefits scandal, the VVD\u2019s polling numbers seemed to improve. The only officials to lose jobs over the issue were Lodewijk Asscher, the leader of the center-left Labor Party, who was social affairs minister when the child benefits problems originally occurred, andClimate Minister Eric Wiebes, of Rutte’s VVD, who was finance minister at the time.
\n
\n\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\n
Observers say that Rutte has an uncanny knack for detecting shifts in public sentiment, and for adjusting his own views in tandem. As an example, some point to how Rutte initially defended the holiday tradition of Black Pete \u2014 in which children and adults dress up in blackface \u2014 as something out of his control, only to turn against it last year and acknowledge the hurt of racism and discrimination. When expedient, Rutte has also shown willingness to tap public sentiment against migrants.
\n\n\n\n
Rival politicians, citing evidence from experts, have also accused Rutte of promoting climate policies that make it impossible for his party to meet its own emissions reduction targets. Jesse Klaver, leader of the Green Left Party, went as far as to accuse Rutte of “lying” and “fraud” over the policy.
\n\n\n\n
Others have charged Rutte with storing up trouble by stoking Euroskeptic sentiment, even though he is strongly in favor of EU membership. Rutte was a leader of the so-called “frugal four” countries that fought in vain for EU governments to be given only loans, rather than non-refundable grants, from the bloc to fund economic recovery from the pandemic.
\n\n\n\n
Sigrid Kaag, the leader of the liberal D66 party, a member of the governing coalition, called Rutte’s approach toward the EU “very shortsighted.”
\n\n\n\n
Yet such criticism seems to bounce off Rutte, with the Dutch broadly content to see him win another term.
\n\n\n\n
Like others across the EU, Dutch citizens have expressed frustration over coronavirus lockdown measures and the slow pace of vaccinations. But Rutte has largely escaped personal blame. On the contrary, he has gotten credit for years of fiscal discipline and budget surpluses that left the Netherlands positioned better than perhaps any other EU country to confront the economic fallout of the pandemic.
\n
\n\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\n
Even Wopke Hoekstra, the finance minister and leader of Christian Democratic Appeal \u2014 the VVD\u2019s biggest rival other than the far-right Freedom Party led by Geert Wilders \u2014 said in one of the campaign\u2019s final debates over the weekend that he would be happy to continue governing in coalition with Rutte. “We get along well personally and we have worked well together,” he said.
\n\n\n\n
Rather than trying to dent Rutte, Hoeskstra has directed venom during the campaign at Wilders, whose party is polling second at about 13 percent, and laying the groundwork for the Freedom Party to once again be excluded from government.
\n\n\n\n
NETHERLANDS NATIONAL PARLIAMENT ELECTION POLL OF POLLS
As a result, many Dutch political analysts say the question is not if Rutte will win, but how long it will take to form a coalition, and if he will manage to serve a full four-year mandate, with at least two parliamentary inquiries hanging above his head, and political opponents sharpening their knives for the first post-pandemic chance to take him out.
\n\n\n\n
No frills
\n\n\n\n
But doing that would require the country to finally give up on a guy that they have come to appreciate for being utterly normal \u2014 an old-fashioned Dutchman, without frills.
\n\n\n\n
He is known for riding his bike to the office, and often dressing in casual clothes. He is widely seen as a leader without pretense \u2014 cleaning up his own coffee spills, for instance, or once throwing open his office door and smacking a journalist in the head. If he\u2019s in a rush, he has a 20-year-old Saab that he keeps parked outside his modest apartment in The Hague.
\n\n\n\n
Driessen remembered a Saturday morning in 2006 during Rutte\u2019s campaign for the party leadership when VVD members, including mayors and lawmakers, met in Arnhem.
\n
\n\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\n
\u201cEveryone was wearing a suit and waiting for Mark, when suddenly he entered the room wearing worn-out Converse All Stars and very dirty jeans,\u201d Driessen said.
\n\n\n\n
Once, when working with colleagues on a proposal to limit tax deductions for mortgage interest, Rutte confessed that personally owing a large sum to a bank would keep him awake at night. In a country that prides itself on thriftiness, it makes him the guy people want minding the public purse.
\n\n\n\n
Rutte has also convinced voters that he truly loves his job, and seemingly has the energy to do it forever. \u201cI’m more fresh than I was the last three times,\u201d he said in a recent interview. \u201cI like it more every time, the campaigning and elections.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
And while public frustration over lockdown measures have led to protests, and even some violence, there is no doubt among voters that Rutte has suffered along with everyone else: Last May, his 96-year-old mother died in a nursing home, after weeks in which he had not been able to visit her due to his own policies to curb the coronavirus.
\n\n\n\n
Personality politics
\n\n\n\n
The country\u2019s affection for Rutte has led to a rare campaign in the Netherlands built around personality, rather than party or policy. And close associates say that Rutte over the years has come to pay more attention to his image.
\n\n\n\n
Jort Kelder, a journalist and long-time friend of Rutte, said that the prime minister \u201cis very aware of the effect of his public appearance, and he is certainly working on it.\u201d Kelder recalled that when Rutte was fighting for the party leadership, he was advised to be more disciplined.
\n
\n\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\n
\u201cBefore that time, I would sometimes spot him with a studenty cigar, or even a pipe, but since then he has started exercising, at least three times a week. Only a packet of Bastogne cookies or speculaas is unsafe in his vicinity, he eats it all within seconds,\u201d Kelder said.
\n\n\n\n
Rutte is also known for a love of Indonesian food, and for taking visiting leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, to his favorite local French bistro in The Hague.
\n\n\n\n
Rutte\u2019s main philosophy, according to a new biography, is meeveren: Go with the flow, and let time do its work. He is a manager, not a visionary leader. Rutte himself likes to quote a saying of former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt about politicians: People with visions should see a doctor.
\n\n\n\n
Lacking any great ideology, he manages to work with almost anyone.
\n\n\n\n
“It’s a necessity in the Dutch political landscape, we are so fragmented, you have no choice but to work together with all those parties,\u201d Rutte said earlier thismonth. \u201cAnd I also try to keep the personal relationships good, and that works with most of them.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Although the VVD is part of the Renew Europe liberal family in the European Parliament, political scientists place the party traditionally on the right side of the political spectrum on economic and social issues.
\n
\n\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\n
This year, the party’s election program suggests a shift on economic policy toward the center, advocating for higher minimum wages and less tax for middle incomes and small businesses. However, on migration, the party wants tougher requirements for entry into the Netherlands and more border controls.
\n\n\n\n
Rutte’s first coalition, from 2010 to 2012, was a minority government that got parliamentary support from Wilders. Rutte has since allied with social democrats from the center-left and conservatives from the center-right.
\n\n\n\n
Close associates say he would be glad to ditch the Christian Union, his most junior partner at the moment, should the Labor Party be willing to enter government. Some say Rutte looks back fondly on his collaboration with Diederik Samsom, the former Labor Party leader, from 2012 to 2016.
\n\n\n\n
\u201cRutte is very pragmatic and flexible,\u201d said Gerdi Verbeet, former speaker of the parliament and member of the Labor Party. \u201cHe is more interested in the solution than the way there.\u201d
\n\n\n\n
Rutte is known for having an occasionally explosive temper, sometimes hanging up the phone in fury during arguments. But he is also a master apologizer, quickly pleading for forgiveness and acknowledging when emotions have gotten the better of him.
\n\n\n\n
Kelder described him as a \u201ccontrol freak,\u201d but in such a way \u201cthat everyone can have their say \u2026 It is a pleasure to work with him, apart from the occasional tantrum.\u201d
\n
\n\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\n
One of the few questions hanging over this week\u2019s election is if Rutte will be able to remain in government with a four-party coalition, or if he will need a fifth partner.
\n\n\n\n
Once that question has been settled, there is a general sense that, as occurs with many long-serving leaders, the biggest threat to Rutte will be Rutte himself.
\n\n\n\n
There are two major parliamentary inquiries looming \u2014 into the child benefits scandal, and over earthquakes caused by gas drilling in Groningen.
\n\n\n\n
In addition, as the pandemic eases, and rivals will demand scrutiny of the government\u2019s handling of the crisis, and Rutte may pay a price for some of the same fiscal discipline that has won him praise. Cuts in health, social and other sectors kept the Dutch budget flush, but left the country vulnerable when the pandemic hit.
\n\n\n\n
Whatever lies in store, one associate said the Dutch this week are certain to entrust Rutte with governing once more: \u201cHe is the only one who is normal enough.\u201d
\n\n\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\n",
+ "page_last_modified": " Mon, 11 Mar 2024 11:26:21 GMT"
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "Mark Rutte - Wikipedia",
+ "page_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rutte",
+ "page_snippet": "On 27 November, it became known that Rita Verdonk, who generally held a more populist view on politics, managed to obtain more votes than Mark Rutte; he obtained 553,200 votes against Verdonk's 620,555. After repeated criticisms by Verdonk on VVD policy, Rutte expelled her from the party's ...Rutte was said to be overshadowed by his own party members Rita Verdonk and Gerrit Zalm, as well as being unable to penetrate between Wouter Bos and Jan Peter Balkenende, who were generally seen as the prime candidates to become the next Prime Minister. On 27 November, it became known that Rita Verdonk, who generally held a more populist view on politics, managed to obtain more votes than Mark Rutte; he obtained 553,200 votes against Verdonk's 620,555. After repeated criticisms by Verdonk on VVD policy, Rutte expelled her from the party's parliamentary faction on 13 September 2007. Mark Rutte (Dutch: [\u02c8m\u0251r(\u0259)k \u02c8r\u028ft\u0259] \u24d8; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010. He is currently acting in a demissionary capacity, scheduled to leave national politics following the installation of the next cabinet after the 2023 general election. Rutte was the leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) from 2006 through 2023. On 2 August 2022 he became the longest-serving prime minister in the history of the Netherlands. After embarking on a business management career working for Unilever, Rutte entered national politics in 2002 as a member of Jan Peter Balkenende's cabinets. Rutte won the 2006 VVD leadership election and led the party to victory in the 2010 general election. After lengthy coalition negotiations, he became prime minister of the Netherlands. He was the first liberal to be appointed prime minister in 92 years. The government was confirmed in office by a majority of one, and Rutte was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, becoming the first Liberal to serve in the role since Pieter Cort van der Linden in 1918. He also became the second-youngest Prime Minister in Dutch history, after Ruud Lubbers. On 2 August 2022 he became the longest-serving prime minister in the history of the Netherlands. After embarking on a business management career working for Unilever, Rutte entered national politics in 2002 as a member of Jan Peter Balkenende's cabinets. Rutte won the 2006 VVD leadership election and led the party to victory in the 2010 general election. After lengthy coalition negotiations, he became prime minister of the Netherlands.",
+ "page_result": "\n\n\n\nMark Rutte - Wikipedia\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJump to content\n
An impasse on budget negotiations led to his government's early collapse in April 2012, but the VVD's victory in the subsequent election allowed Rutte to return as prime minister to lead a coalition between the VVD and the Labour Party (PvdA), which became the first cabinet to see out a full four-year term since 1998. Though the VVD lost seats in the 2017 general election, it remained the largest party. After a record-length formation period, Rutte was appointed to lead a new coalition between the VVD, Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Democrats 66 (D66) and Christian Union (CU).\n
Though Rutte and his cabinet resigned in response to the childcare benefits scandal,[4][5][6] the VVD won the 2021 general election.[7][8] Rutte began his fourth term in 2022 after another record-length formation period. On 7 July 2023, he announced his government's resignation after his coalition failed to agree on how to handle increasing migration.[9][10] His government has since taken on a caretaker role pending the formation of a new cabinet.[11] Due to his ability to come out of political scandals with his reputation undamaged, Rutte has been referred to as \"Teflon Mark\".[12]\n
Rutte was born in The Hague, in the province of South Holland,[13] in a Dutch Reformed family. He is the youngest child of Iza\u00e4k Rutte (5 October 1909 \u2013 22 April 1988), a merchant, and his second wife, Hermina Cornelia Dilling (13 November 1923 \u2013 13 May 2020), a secretary. Iza\u00e4k Rutte worked for a trading company; first as an importer in the Dutch East Indies, later as a director in the Netherlands.[citation needed] His second wife was a sister of his first wife, Petronella Hermanna Dilling (17 March 1910 \u2013 20 July 1945), who died while she and he were interned together in Tjideng, a prisoner-of-war camp in Batavia, now Jakarta, during World War II.[14][15] Rutte has seven siblings as a result of his father's two marriages. One of his elder brothers died from AIDS in the 1980s. Rutte later described the deaths of his brother and his father as events that changed the course of his life.[16][17]\n
Rutte attended the Maerlant Lyceum from 1979 until 1985,[18] specialising in the arts. Although his original ambition was to attend a conservatory and become a concert pianist,[19] he instead went to study history at Leiden University, where he obtained an MA degree in 1992.[20] Rutte combined his studies with a position on the board of the Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy, the youth organisation of the VVD, of which he was the chair from 1988 to 1991.[21]\n
After his studies Rutte entered the business world, working as a manager for Unilever and its food subsidiary Calv\u00e9. Until 1997, Rutte was part of the human resource department of Unilever, and played a leading role in several reorganisations. Between 1997 and 2000, Rutte was staff manager of Van den Bergh Nederland, a subsidiary of Unilever. In 2000, Rutte became a member of the Corporate Human Resources Group, and in 2002, he became human resource manager for IgloMora Groep, another subsidiary of Unilever.[22]\n
Between 1993 and 1997, Rutte was a member of the national board of the VVD. Rutte also served as a member of the VVD candidate committee for the general election of 2002. Rutte was elected as Member of Parliament in 2003.[citation needed]\n
In 2003, as State Secretary, Rutte advised municipalities to check, exceptionally, Somali residents for social assistance fraud, after some Somalis working in England were also found to receive social assistance benefits in the Netherlands. A Somali man entitled to benefits was stopped by social investigators and checked for fraud on the basis of his external characteristics, after which he refused the investigators access to his home. The Municipal Executive (College van burgemeester en wethouders) of Haarlem decided to withdraw the right of the man to social benefits. He disagreed with this and his appeal was upheld by the administrative judge. The court ruled that \"an investigation aimed exclusively at persons of Somali descent is discriminatory\" and contrary to the Constitution because this distinction is \"discrimination based on race\". Rutte rejected the criticism and stated that a change in the law would then be necessary to be able to combat targeted fraud.[23][24][25]\n
After the resignation of Jozias van Aartsen, the VVD having lost in the 2006 Dutch municipal election, the party held an internal election for a new Lead Candidate, in which Rutte competed against Rita Verdonk and Jelleke Veenendaal. On 31 May 2006, it was announced that Mark Rutte would be the next lijsttrekker of the VVD. He was elected by 51.5% of party members. Rutte's candidacy was backed by the VVD leadership, including the party board, and many prominent politicians such as Frank de Grave, former minister of Defence, Ivo Opstelten, the mayor of Rotterdam and Ed Nijpels, the Queen's Commissioner of Friesland. The Youth Organisation Freedom and Democracy, the VVD's youth wing, of which he had been chair, also backed him. During the elections he promised \"to make the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy a party for everyone and not just of the elite\". His youthful appearance has been likened to the successful former leader of the Labour Party, Wouter Bos.[citation needed]\n
Rutte said that the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party was a group that \"the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy could do business with\".[26] He had also stated that with the social security ideas of the Labour Party, which he called too socialist, it was unlikely that the VVD would cooperate or form a coalition after the elections.[citation needed]\n
For the 2006 general election, the VVD campaign with Rutte as leader did not get off to a good start; he received criticism from within his own party.[27] Rutte was said to be overshadowed by his own party members Rita Verdonk and Gerrit Zalm, as well as being unable to penetrate between Wouter Bos and Jan Peter Balkenende, who were generally seen as the prime candidates to become the next Prime Minister. On 27 November, it became known that Rita Verdonk, who generally held a more populist view on politics, managed to obtain more votes than Mark Rutte; he obtained 553,200 votes against Verdonk's 620,555.[27][28] After repeated criticisms by Verdonk on VVD policy, Rutte expelled her from the party's parliamentary faction on 13 September 2007.[29]\n
In the 2010 general election, Rutte was once again the lijsttrekker for the VVD. It won 31 seats to become the largest party in the House of Representatives for the first time ever.[30] A long period of negotiations followed, with several personalities succeeding each other, being appointed by Queen Beatrix in order to find out what coalition could be formed. Efforts to form a broad spectrum coalition between the VVD, CDA and PvdA failed. Instead, the only possibility appeared to be a centre-right coalition of liberals and Christian Democrats (CDA), with the outside support of the Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders.[citation needed]\n
\nRutte presenting his first cabinet together with Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen (CDA) and coalition partner Geert Wilders (PVV)\n
After securing support for a coalition between the VVD and CDA, Rutte was appointed as formateur on 8 October 2010; Rutte announced his prospective cabinet, including Maxime Verhagen from the CDA as Deputy Prime Minister. On 14 October, Queen Beatrix formally invited Rutte to form a government, and later that day, Rutte presented his first cabinet to Parliament. The government was confirmed in office by a majority of one, and Rutte was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, becoming the first Liberal to serve in the role since Pieter Cort van der Linden in 1918.[30] He also became the second-youngest Prime Minister in Dutch history, after Ruud Lubbers.[citation needed]\n
After the victory at the 2011 provincial elections, the VVD secured its status as the lead party within the government. In March 2012, seeking to comply with European Union requirements to reduce the nation's deficit, Rutte began talks with his coalition partners on a budget which would cut 16 billion euros of spending. However, PVV leader Geert Wilders withdrew his party's informal support from the government on 21 April, stating that the proposed budget would hurt economic growth.[31] This led to the early collapse of the government, and Rutte submitted his resignation to Queen Beatrix on the afternoon of 23 April.[32] His government had lasted for 558 days, making it one of the shortest Dutch cabinets since World War II.[31]\n
Ahead of the 2012 general election, Rutte was named the VVD's lijsttrekker for the third time. At the election in September, the VVD won an additional 10 seats, remaining the largest party in the House of Representatives; the CDA and PVV saw their number of seats fall significantly.[33] The VVD quickly negotiated a coalition agreement with the Labour Party, and on 5 November 2012, the Second Rutte cabinet was confirmed by a vote in Parliament, seeing Rutte returned as Prime Minister of a VVD-PvdA coalition government.[citation needed]\n
Rutte's second cabinet completed its full four-year term without collapsing or losing a vote of no confidence, becoming the first cabinet to do so since the First Kok cabinet from 1994 to 1998.[36]\n
The VVD went into the 2017 general election with a small lead over the PVV in most opinion polls. Rutte was judged to have managed the 2017 Dutch\u2013Turkish diplomatic incident well according to similar polling. While the VVD lost 8 seats in the general election, the PvdA lost 29, and these seats were split between a number of other parties, leaving the VVD the largest party in parliament for the third successive election. After holding coalition discussions, Rutte negotiated a grand coalition with the CDA, D66 and CU; he presented his third cabinet on 26 October 2017, and was sworn in as Prime Minister for a third term. The 225 days between the general election and the installation of the government was the longest such period in Dutch history.[citation needed]\n
\nRutte with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 24 May 2018\n
The coalition agreement's plan to abolish the 15% dividend tax (providing the state \u20ac1.4 billion per year) proved highly unpopular, as it had not been mentioned in any party's program, and it later appeared that major Dutch companies like Shell and Unilever had secretly been lobbying for that measure.[37]\n
In July 2018, Rutte became a topic in international news because of what was considered \"typical Dutch bluntness\", by interrupting and explicitly contradicting the American president Donald Trump during a meeting with the press at the Oval Office in the White House.[38][39]\n
Rutte's third government provided materials to the Levant Front rebel group in Syria.[40] In September 2018, the Dutch public prosecution department declared the Levant Front to be a \"criminal organisation of terrorist intent\", describing it as a \"salafist and jihadistic\" group that \"strives for the setting up of the caliphate\".[41]\n
During a parliamentary debate on 9 September 2020, Rutte suggested that the EU could be dissolved and re-formed without Poland and Hungary, as he perceives these countries' governments to be dismantling the rule of law.[43][44][45]\n
On 15 January 2021, the third Rutte cabinet collectively resigned after publications of research around the childcare subsidies scandal in the Netherlands.[46] Rutte offered his resignation to the King, accepting responsibility for the scandal.[47]\n
\n
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Rutte with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on 18 July 2019
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
Rutte with Indonesian Minister of Public Works Basuki Hadimuljono showing off their Nokia phones in 2019
Following the 2021 Dutch general election, Rutte's VVD party held 34 of 150 seats and was expected to form a new coalition government.[48] After remaining caretaker Prime Minister for the duration of the longest formation process in Dutch history, on 15 December 2021 he presented a coalition agreement with D66, CDA and CU, the same combination as his previous government.[49]\n
A scandal during his fourth term was that it was found out that he had been wiping the majority of SMS text messages of his phone for years in violation of the archival law, personally judging which messages were to be archived and which messages were to be deleted.[50] His excuse was that his phone memory filled up too quickly. This was not considered a plausible excuse by other ministers.[51] This was also in violation of his campaign promise and coalition accords that stated they wished to restore peoples faith in politics, create a new governance culture and \"improve the information provided to the [second] house\", that the archival law would be modernized and that information would be made available faster.[51]\n
Different stances on immigration policy within his four-party coalition had existed since the coalition government was formed. VVD and CDA supported restrictions on immigration, while D66 and CU opposed them. In 7 July 2023, the parties failed for the last time to reach an agreement and decided unanimously that they could not remain together in the coalition. Immediately, Rutte offered the resignation of his government.[52][53] The king asked that the prime minister and his government continue to carry out their duties in a caretaker capacity.[54]\n
On 10 July 2023, Rutte announced his departure as political leader of the VVD and that he would leave politics when a new government took over.[55][56]\n
In October 2023, he condemned the Hamas attack on Israel and expressed his support to Israel and its right to self-defense.[57] On 23 October 2023, Rutte visited Israel to express solidarity with the country. He met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.[58] He rejected calls for a ceasefire in the 2023 Israel\u2013Hamas war but supported \"humanitarian pauses\" to provide aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.[59][60]\n
Early general elections were held on 22 November 2023. Rutte later became a candidate to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary General of NATO, and his bid received public support from the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France in February 2024.[61][62] Hungarian foreign affairs minister P\u00e9ter Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 subsequently declared he opposed Rutte's candidacy, citing his past exertion of pressure on the country.[63]\n
On 26 February 2024 Rutte travelled to Paris, where Emmanuel Macron was holding an emergency summit over the situation in Ukraine, as they had suffered the loss of Avdiivka due to shell hunger. Czech PM Petr Fiala proposed to purchase 500,000 rounds of artillery ammunition for Volodymyr Zelensky's forces. This was the second time in one month the Czech government had aired the matter. The French had previously vetoed the idea to purchase the ammunition from foreign sources.[64] The government of Rutte announced, through him on that day in Paris, that it would provide \u20ac100 million for this purpose.[65] On 1 March Rutte increased the commitment to \u20ac250 million for Fiala's venture, as he went to Kharkiv to tour with Zelensky an underground metro station that had been repurposed into a primary school. There they signed the Netherlands-Ukraine bilateral security agreement.[66][67]\n
^(in Dutch) Oranje, Joost and Guus Valk, \"Kamp: VVD moet Rutte nu steunen,\"Archived 15 May 2014 at the Wayback MachineNRC Handelsblad (15 September 2007). Retrieved 14 May 2014. Literal English translation: \"Verdonk was yesterday by Mark Rutte formally expelled from the VVD's parliamentary party in the House of Representatives after she had again voiced criticism of the party in the press.\" Dutch original: \"Verdonk werd gisteren formeel door Mark Rutte uit de Tweede Kamerfractie van de VVD gezet, nadat zij in de pers opnieuw kritiek had geuit op de fractie.\"\n
^\"Plenaire verslagen\". www.tweedekamer.nl (in Dutch). 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2020. Je moet gaan nadenken: kun je een begroting maken via een intergouvernementeel verdrag of kun je nu een Europese Unie oprichten zonder Hongarije en Polen?\n
Underline signifies the parliamentary leader (first mentioned) and the Speaker Angle brackets signify a replacement member or a member who prematurely left this House of Representatives
\n\n\n\n",
+ "page_last_modified": " Mon, 11 Mar 2024 02:35:01 GMT"
+ },
+ {
+ "page_name": "Willem Drees | Social Democrat, Labour Party, Dutch Politics | ...",
+ "page_url": "https://www.britannica.com/biography/Willem-Drees",
+ "page_snippet": "Willem Drees was a statesman and socialist leader who was the prime minister of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1958. His four successive governments augmented his country\u2019s comprehensive welfare state, continued the postwar abandonment of the traditional Dutch neutrality in favour of military andWillem Drees (born July 5, 1886, Amsterdam, Neth.\u2014died May 14, 1988, The Hague) was a statesman and socialist leader who was the prime minister of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1958. His four successive governments augmented his country\u2019s comprehensive welfare state, continued the postwar abandonment of the traditional Dutch neutrality in favour of military and economic alliances, and unsuccessfully tried to retain the Republic of Indonesia as an autonomous state under the Dutch crown. Educated at Commercial School, Amsterdam, Drees was appointed stenographer to the Netherlands States General (Parliament) in 1907. Released in 1941, he rejoined the resistance movement and presided over the Fatherland Committee, which prepared the first governmental measures after the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945. Drees served (1945\u201348) as minister of social affairs in the governments of Willem Schermerhorn and Louis Beel. In 1946 Drees and Schermerhorn, a left-wing Liberal, had formed a new socialist party, the Partij van de Arbeid (\u201cParty of Labour\u201d). As prime minister from Aug. In 1946 Drees and Schermerhorn, a left-wing Liberal, had formed a new socialist party, the Partij van de Arbeid (\u201cParty of Labour\u201d). As prime minister from Aug. 6, 1948, Drees formed ministries that were coalitions of his own party and the Katholieke Volkspartij (\u201cCatholic People\u2019s Party\u201d). When the latter party dissolved the coalition in a dispute over new tax proposals, Drees resigned on Dec. 12, 1958, and retired from politics. Under Drees\u2019s leadership the Netherlands joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Western European Union (WEU), the European Economic Community (EEC), and other international associations. When the Germans occupied his country during World War II, Drees was imprisoned for trying to organize resistance. Released in 1941, he rejoined the resistance movement and presided over the Fatherland Committee, which prepared the first governmental measures after the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945.",
+ "page_result": "\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n\n \n\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\t\t\n\n \n Willem Drees | Social Democrat, Labour Party, Dutch Politics | Britannica\n\t\t\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\t\n\n \n\n \n\n\t\t \n\t\t\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\t\t\tWhile every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.\n\t\t\tPlease refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tWhile every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.\n\t\t\tPlease refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.\n\t\t
Willem Drees (born July 5, 1886, Amsterdam, Neth.\u2014died May 14, 1988, The Hague) was a statesman and socialist leader who was the prime minister of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1958. His four successive governments augmented his country\u2019scomprehensivewelfare state, continued the postwar abandonment of the traditional Dutch neutrality in favour of military and economic alliances, and unsuccessfully tried to retain the Republic of Indonesia as an autonomous state under the Dutch crown.
Educated at Commercial School, Amsterdam, Drees was appointed stenographer to the Netherlands States General (Parliament) in 1907. A member of the Labour (Social Democratic) Party, he was elected to the city council of The Hague in 1913 and to the Second (principal) Chamber of the States-General in 1933. From 1939 he was chairman of the Labour group in the Second Chamber. When the Germans occupied his country during World War II, Drees was imprisoned for trying to organize resistance. Released in 1941, he rejoined the resistance movement and presided over the Fatherland Committee, which prepared the first governmental measures after the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945.
Drees served (1945\u201348) as minister of social affairs in the governments of Willem Schermerhorn and Louis Beel. In 1946 Drees and Schermerhorn, a left-wing Liberal, had formed a new socialist party, the Partij van de Arbeid (\u201cParty of Labour\u201d). As prime minister from Aug. 6, 1948, Drees formed ministries that were coalitions of his own party and the Katholieke Volkspartij (\u201cCatholic People\u2019s Party\u201d). When the latter party dissolved the coalition in a dispute over new tax proposals, Drees resigned on Dec. 12, 1958, and retired from politics.
\n
Under Drees\u2019s leadership the Netherlands joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Western European Union (WEU), the European Economic Community (EEC), and other international associations. In December 1948, war broke out in Indonesia between the Dutch and the Indonesians, but in 1949 Drees\u2019s government acknowledged the United States of Indonesia (later the Republic of Indonesia) as a partner in a federation. Drees was in office when, in 1954, Indonesia terminated this union.
![\"Logo](\"/binaries/content/gallery/government/channel-afbeeldingen/logos/beeldmerk-rijksoverheid-desktop.svg\")
\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/mark-rutte/fotonavigatie/mark-rutte-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/rob-jetten/fotonavigatie/rob-jetten-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/carola-schouten/fotonavigatie/carola-schouten-4.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/karien-van-gennip/fotonavigatie/karien-van-gennip-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/hanke-bruins-slot/fotonavigatie/hanke-bruins-slot-2.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/dilan-ye%E1%B9%A3ilgoz/fotonavigatie/dilan-yesilgoz-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/hugo-de-jonge/fotonavigatie/hugo-de-jonge-2.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/robbert-dijkgraaf/fotonavigatie/robbert-dijkgraaf-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/steven-van-weyenberg/fotonavigatie/steven-van-weyenberg-1a.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/kajsa-ollongren/fotonavigatie/kajsa-ollongren-2b.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/mark-harbers/fotonavigatie/mark-harbers-2.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/micky-adriaansens/fotonavigatie/micky-adriaansens-2.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/rijksoverheid/content-afbeeldingen/regering/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/piet-adema/fotonavigatie/pietadema02-1x1.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/conny-helder/fotonavigatie/conny-helder-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/geoffrey-van-leeuwen/fotonavigatie/geoffrey-van-leeuwen04.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/franc-weerwind/fotonavigatie/franc-weerwind-4.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/marielle-paul/fotonavigatie/marielle-paul05.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/rijksoverheid/content-afbeeldingen/regering/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/christianne-van-der-wal-zeggelink/fotonavigatie/christianne-van-der-wal-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/pia-dijkstra/fotonavigatie/pia-dijkstra-1x1.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/eric-van-der-burg/fotonavigatie/eric-van-der-burg-1a.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/alexandra-van-huffelen/fotonavigatie/alexandra-van-huffelen-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/fleur-graper-van-koolwijk/fotonavigatie/240112graperkoolwijkv1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/marnix-van-rij/fotonavigatie/marnix-van-rij-2.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/aukje-de-vries/fotonavigatie/aukje-de-vries-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/christophe-van-der-maat/fotonavigatie/christophe-van-der-maat-2.jpg-kopie\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/vivianne-heijnen/fotonavigatie/vivianne-heijnen-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/rijksoverheid/content-afbeeldingen/regering/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/hans-vijlbrief/fotonavigatie/hans-vijlbrief-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/maarten-van-ooijen/fotonavigatie/maarten-van-ooijen-1.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/binaries/medium/content/gallery/government/content-afbeeldingen/government/bewindspersonen/kabinet-rutte-iv/liesje-schreinemacher/fotonavigatie/liesje-schreinemacher-1a.jpg\")
\r\n ![\"\"](\"/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png\"){kind=icon}
\n\t![\"Wikipedia\"](\"/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg\")
\n\t\t![\"The](\"/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg\")
\n\t![](\"/wiki/File:Mark_Rutte,_23.03.23_(cropped).jpg\")
![\"\"](\"/wiki/File:Accession_Treaty_2011_Mark_Rutte_signature.svg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:State_coat_of_arms_of_the_Netherlands.svg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Rutte,_Verhagen_en_Wilders_bij_presentatie_regeer-_en_gedoogakkoord_(5121025524).jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Gesprek_met_Poetin_(9097392157).jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:The_Prime_Minister,_Shri_Narendra_Modi_meeting_the_Prime_Minister_of_the_Kingdom_of_Netherlands,_Mr._Mark_Rutte,_at_Hyderabad_House,_in_New_Delhi_on_May_24,_2018.JPG\")
![\"Rutte](\"/wiki/File:President_Trump_Meets_with_the_Prime_Minister_of_the_Netherlands_(48317652116).jpg\")
![\"Rutte](\"/wiki/File:Mark_Rutte_with_Basuki_Hadimuljono.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:%D0%97%D1%83%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D1%96%D1%87_%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0_%D0%A3%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%97%D0%BD%D0%B8_%D0%B7_%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%E2%80%99%D1%94%D1%80-%D0%BC%D1%96%D0%BD%D1%96%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC_%D0%9D%D1%96%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%96%D0%B2_%D1%83_%D0%9A%D0%B8%D1%94%D0%B2%D1%96_09.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Ilham_Aliyev_met_with_Prime_Minister_of_Kingdom_of_the_Netherlands_in_Davos_02.jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Mark_Rutte,_Ursula_von_der_Leyen,_Ka%C3%AFs_Sa%C3%AFed,_and_Giorgia_Meloni,_2023,_P061638-976557.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg.png\")
![\"\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png\")
![\"\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/23px-Flag_of_France.svg.png\")
![\"\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/23px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png\")
![\"\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png\"){kind=logo}
![\"\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png\"){kind=logo}
![](\"/wiki/File:Mark_Rutte_2015_(1)_(cropped).jpg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg\")
![\"European](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Flag_of_Europe.svg/23px-Flag_of_Europe.svg.png\")
![\"Austria\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png\")
![\"Bulgaria\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg.png\")
![\"Croatia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Flag_of_Croatia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Croatia.svg.png\")
![\"Cyprus\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Cyprus.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cyprus.svg.png\")
![\"Czech](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg.png\")
![\"Denmark\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/20px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png\")
![\"Estonia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png\")
![\"Finland\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png\")
![\"Germany\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/23px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png\")
![\"Greece\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg/23px-Flag_of_Greece.svg.png\")
![\"Hungary\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Flag_of_Hungary.svg/23px-Flag_of_Hungary.svg.png\")
![\"Republic](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png\")
![\"Latvia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png\")
![\"Lithuania\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Lithuania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Lithuania.svg.png\")
![\"Luxembourg\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg/23px-Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg.png\")
![\"Malta\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Malta.svg/23px-Flag_of_Malta.svg.png\")
![\"Netherlands\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg.png\")
![\"Poland\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png\")
![\"Portugal\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Portugal.svg/23px-Flag_of_Portugal.svg.png\")
![\"Romania\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Romania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Romania.svg.png\")
![\"Slovakia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Flag_of_Slovakia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Slovakia.svg.png\")
![\"Slovenia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Flag_of_Slovenia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Slovenia.svg.png\")
![\"Spain\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/23px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png\")
![\"Sweden\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png\")
![\"NATO\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Flag_of_NATO.svg/20px-Flag_of_NATO.svg.png\")
![\"Albania\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Flag_of_Albania.svg/21px-Flag_of_Albania.svg.png\")
![\"Canada\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png\")
![\"Iceland\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/21px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png\")
![\"Montenegro\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Flag_of_Montenegro.svg/23px-Flag_of_Montenegro.svg.png\")
![\"North](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg.png\")
![\"Norway\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Norway.svg/21px-Flag_of_Norway.svg.png\")
![\"Turkey\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Flag_of_Turkey.svg/23px-Flag_of_Turkey.svg.png\")
![\"United](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png\")
![\"United](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a4/Flag_of_the_United_States.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_States.svg.png\")
![\"Algeria\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Algeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Algeria.svg.png\")
![\"Burkina](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/23px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png\")
![\"Burundi\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Flag_of_Burundi.svg/23px-Flag_of_Burundi.svg.png\")
![\"Cameroon\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png\")
![\"Cape](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cape_Verde.svg.png\")
![\"Central](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Flag_of_the_Central_African_Republic.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Central_African_Republic.svg.png\")
![\"Chad\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Flag_of_Chad.svg/23px-Flag_of_Chad.svg.png\")
![\"Democratic](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg/20px-Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg.png\")
![\"Republic](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg.png\")
![\"Djibouti\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Flag_of_Djibouti.svg/23px-Flag_of_Djibouti.svg.png\")
![\"Egypt\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Egypt.svg/23px-Flag_of_Egypt.svg.png\")
![\"Equatorial](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Equatorial_Guinea.svg/23px-Flag_of_Equatorial_Guinea.svg.png\")
![\"Eswatini\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Flag_of_Eswatini.svg/23px-Flag_of_Eswatini.svg.png\")
![\"Ethiopia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Flag_of_Ethiopia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ethiopia.svg.png\")
![\"Gabon\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Flag_of_Gabon.svg/20px-Flag_of_Gabon.svg.png\")
![\"Guinea\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Flag_of_Guinea.svg/23px-Flag_of_Guinea.svg.png\")
![\"Guinea-Bissau\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg/23px-Flag_of_Guinea-Bissau.svg.png\")
![\"Ivory](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/23px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png\")
![\"Libya\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Libya.svg/23px-Flag_of_Libya.svg.png\")
![\"Lesotho\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Flag_of_Lesotho.svg/23px-Flag_of_Lesotho.svg.png\")
![\"Madagascar\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Madagascar.svg/23px-Flag_of_Madagascar.svg.png\")
![\"Mali\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Mali.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mali.svg.png\")
![\"Mauritania\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png\")
![\"Mauritius\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Mauritius.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mauritius.svg.png\")
![\"Morocco\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/23px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png\")
![\"Mozambique\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Flag_of_Mozambique.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mozambique.svg.png\")
![\"Namibia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Namibia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Namibia.svg.png\")
![\"Niger\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/18px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png\")
![\"Rwanda\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Rwanda.svg/23px-Flag_of_Rwanda.svg.png\")
![\"Sahrawi](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Flag_of_the_Sahrawi_Arab_Democratic_Republic.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Sahrawi_Arab_Democratic_Republic.svg.png\")
![\"S\u00e3o](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Flag_of_S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_and_Pr%C3%ADncipe.svg/23px-Flag_of_S%C3%A3o_Tom%C3%A9_and_Pr%C3%ADncipe.svg.png\")
![\"Senegal\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/23px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png\")
![\"Sierra](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sierra_Leone.svg.png\")
![\"Somalia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Flag_of_Somalia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Somalia.svg.png\")
![\"Sudan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Sudan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sudan.svg.png\")
![\"Tanzania\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Tanzania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tanzania.svg.png\")
![\"Togo\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Flag_of_Togo.svg/23px-Flag_of_Togo.svg.png\")
![\"Tunisia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png\")
![\"Uganda\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Flag_of_Uganda.svg/23px-Flag_of_Uganda.svg.png\")
![\"Abkhazia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_Abkhazia.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_Abkhazia.svg.png\")
![\"Afghanistan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Taliban.svg.png\")
![\"Bahrain\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Bahrain.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bahrain.svg.png\")
![\"Bangladesh\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg.png\")
![\"Bhutan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Flag_of_Bhutan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bhutan.svg.png\")
![\"Brunei\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Brunei.svg/23px-Flag_of_Brunei.svg.png\")
![\"Cambodia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png\")
![\"China\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png\")
![\"East](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Flag_of_East_Timor.svg/23px-Flag_of_East_Timor.svg.png\")
![\"India\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/23px-Flag_of_India.svg.png\")
![\"Iraq\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flag_of_Iraq.svg/23px-Flag_of_Iraq.svg.png\")
![\"Israel\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Israel.svg/21px-Flag_of_Israel.svg.png\")
![\"Japan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png\")
![\"Jordan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Flag_of_Jordan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Jordan.svg.png\")
![\"Kazakhstan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg.png\")
![\"Kuwait\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Flag_of_Kuwait.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kuwait.svg.png\")
![\"Kyrgyzstan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg.png\")
![\"Laos\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Laos.svg/23px-Flag_of_Laos.svg.png\")
![\"Lebanon\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Flag_of_Lebanon.svg/23px-Flag_of_Lebanon.svg.png\")
![\"Malaysia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Flag_of_Malaysia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Malaysia.svg.png\")
![\"Mongolia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Mongolia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mongolia.svg.png\")
![\"Myanmar\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Flag_of_Myanmar.svg/23px-Flag_of_Myanmar.svg.png\")
![\"Nepal\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Flag_of_Nepal.svg/12px-Flag_of_Nepal.svg.png\")
![\"North](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Flag_of_North_Korea.svg/23px-Flag_of_North_Korea.svg.png\")
![\"Pakistan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png\")
![\"State](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Palestine.svg/23px-Flag_of_Palestine.svg.png\")
![\"Qatar\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Flag_of_Qatar.svg/23px-Flag_of_Qatar.svg.png\")
![\"Saudi](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png\")
![\"Singapore\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Singapore.svg/23px-Flag_of_Singapore.svg.png\")
![\"South](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/23px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png\")
![\"South](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_South_Ossetia.svg/23px-Flag_of_South_Ossetia.svg.png\")
![\"Sri](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png\")
![\"Syria\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Flag_of_Syria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Syria.svg.png\")
![\"Taiwan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg.png\")
![\"Tajikistan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Flag_of_Tajikistan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tajikistan.svg.png\")
![\"Thailand\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Flag_of_Thailand.svg/23px-Flag_of_Thailand.svg.png\")
![\"United](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates.svg.png\")
![\"Uzbekistan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Uzbekistan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Uzbekistan.svg.png\")
![\"Vietnam\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Vietnam.svg/23px-Flag_of_Vietnam.svg.png\")
![\"Yemen\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/23px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png\")
![\"Andorra\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Andorra.svg/22px-Flag_of_Andorra.svg.png\")
![\"Armenia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png\")
![\"Azerbaijan\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Flag_of_Azerbaijan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Azerbaijan.svg.png\")
![\"Belarus\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Flag_of_Belarus.svg/23px-Flag_of_Belarus.svg.png\")
![\"Bosnia](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg.png\")
![\"Georgia](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Flag_of_Georgia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Georgia.svg.png\")
![\"Kosovo\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Flag_of_Kosovo.svg/21px-Flag_of_Kosovo.svg.png\")
![\"Liechtenstein\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Flag_of_Liechtenstein.svg/23px-Flag_of_Liechtenstein.svg.png\")
![\"Moldova\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Moldova.svg/23px-Flag_of_Moldova.svg.png\")
![\"Monaco\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Flag_of_Monaco.svg/19px-Flag_of_Monaco.svg.png\")
![\"Russia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Russia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Russia.svg.png\")
![\"San](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Flag_of_San_Marino.svg/20px-Flag_of_San_Marino.svg.png\")
![\"Serbia\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Flag_of_Serbia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Serbia.svg.png\")
![\"Switzerland\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg/15px-Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg.png\")
![\"Ukraine\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png\")
![\"Vatican](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Flag_of_the_Vatican_City_%282023%E2%80%93present%29.svg/15px-Flag_of_the_Vatican_City_%282023%E2%80%93present%29.svg.png\")
![\"Aruba\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flag_of_Aruba.svg/23px-Flag_of_Aruba.svg.png\")
![\"Anguilla\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Flag_of_Anguilla.svg/23px-Flag_of_Anguilla.svg.png\")
![\"Antigua](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Antigua_and_Barbuda.svg/23px-Flag_of_Antigua_and_Barbuda.svg.png\")
![\"The](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Flag_of_the_Bahamas.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Bahamas.svg.png\")
![\"Barbados\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Flag_of_Barbados.svg/23px-Flag_of_Barbados.svg.png\")
![\"Bermuda\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Flag_of_Bermuda.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bermuda.svg.png\")
![\"Belize\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Flag_of_Belize.svg/23px-Flag_of_Belize.svg.png\")
![\"British](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Flag_of_the_British_Virgin_Islands.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_British_Virgin_Islands.svg.png\")
![\"Cayman](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Flag_of_the_Cayman_Islands.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Cayman_Islands.svg.png\")
![\"Cuba\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png\")
![\"Cura\u00e7ao\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Flag_of_Cura%C3%A7ao.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cura%C3%A7ao.svg.png\")
![\"Dominica\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Flag_of_Dominica.svg/23px-Flag_of_Dominica.svg.png\")
![\"Greenland\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_Greenland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Greenland.svg.png\")
![\"Grenada\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Grenada.svg/23px-Flag_of_Grenada.svg.png\")
![\"Haiti\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Haiti.svg/23px-Flag_of_Haiti.svg.png\")
![\"Jamaica\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Flag_of_Jamaica.svg/23px-Flag_of_Jamaica.svg.png\")
![\"Montserrat\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Flag_of_Montserrat.svg/23px-Flag_of_Montserrat.svg.png\")
![\"Saint](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Saint_Kitts_and_Nevis.svg/23px-Flag_of_Saint_Kitts_and_Nevis.svg.png\")
![\"Saint](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Saint_Lucia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Saint_Lucia.svg.png\")
![\"Saint](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Flag_of_Saint_Vincent_and_the_Grenadines.svg/23px-Flag_of_Saint_Vincent_and_the_Grenadines.svg.png\")
![\"Trinidad](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Flag_of_Trinidad_and_Tobago.svg/23px-Flag_of_Trinidad_and_Tobago.svg.png\")
![\"Guyana\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Flag_of_Guyana.svg/23px-Flag_of_Guyana.svg.png\")
![\"Peru\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Peru.svg/23px-Flag_of_Peru.svg.png\")
![\"Cook](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Flag_of_the_Cook_Islands.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Cook_Islands.svg.png\")
![\"Fiji\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Fiji.svg/23px-Flag_of_Fiji.svg.png\")
![\"Nauru\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Flag_of_Nauru.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nauru.svg.png\")
![\"New](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg/23px-Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png\")
![\"Niue\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Niue.svg/23px-Flag_of_Niue.svg.png\")
![\"Papua](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Flag_of_Papua_New_Guinea.svg/20px-Flag_of_Papua_New_Guinea.svg.png\")
![\"Samoa\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Samoa.svg/23px-Flag_of_Samoa.svg.png\")
![\"Solomon](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Solomon_Islands.svg.png\")
![\"Tonga\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Tonga.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tonga.svg.png\")
![\"Tuvalu\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Tuvalu.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tuvalu.svg.png\")
![\"Vanuatu\"](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Vanuatu.svg/23px-Flag_of_Vanuatu.svg.png\")
![](\"/wiki/File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_Tweede_Kamer.svg\")
![](\"/wiki/File:VVD_logo_(2020%E2%80%93present).svg\"){kind=logo}
![\"Edit](\"//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8a/OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg/10px-OOjs_UI_icon_edit-ltr-progressive.svg.png\"){kind=icon}
![\"Encyclopedia](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel/eb-logo/MendelNewThistleLogo.png\"){kind=logo}
\n![\"Colorful](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/90/218290-131-74825FCA/Illuminated-gallery-tunnel-rainbow-passage-Netherland-Architecture-Institute-Rotterdam.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t![\"Boat](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/65/75665-131-FE5B6A82/canals-city-Amsterdam-series-rings-parts-network.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t![\"Map](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/26/188726-131-EF0AAD25/Map-Netherlands.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t![\"Close](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/22/232222-050-C7D008B3/Hand-ballot-box-vote-election.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t![\"Calendar](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/10/189610-131-C06C6A6B/Calendar-march-15th-march-15th.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t![\"Marriage.](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/35/152735-131-06FBAE3F/Marriage-couple-church-wedding-ceremony.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t![\"Groups](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/45/197245-131-26E0911C/Depositors-American-Union-Bank-New-York-York-1932.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t![\"Still](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/09/221409-131-22325294/Helen-Keller-Anne-Sullivan-Deliverance-1919.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t![\"African](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/17/177117-131-A08C82B6/African-Americans-front-voting-rights-White-House-1965.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t![\"Young](\"https://cdn.britannica.com/17/167717-131-94C99B30/boys-mill-Macon-Georgia-1909.jpg?w=200&h=200&c=crop\")
\n \n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t