Dutch PM Mark Rutte survives no-confidence vote

THE HAGUE: Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday narrowly survived a no-confidence vote called after he was accused of misinforming Parliament and actively seeking to move an inconvenient lawmaker to another position. The premier's credibility was however seriously damaged as parliament passed a motion of disapproval, saying he had not told the truth about remarks made during coalition talks, reports dpa news agency.

At a special session on Thursday, almost all parliamentary groups voiced severe criticism of the right-wing liberal premier after he gave the impression that he wanted to sideline an inconvenient critic and several opposition parties called for a vote of confidence.

After a long and turbulent debate over Rutte's controversial statements during government formation talks, the opposition ultimately lacked a majority for a vote of no-confidence in the early hours of Friday in The Hague. Rutte was expected to continue efforts to form his fourth coalition government after parliamentary elections in mid-March handed his centre-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) a majority. (IANS)

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