“It’s no secret where my dilemma lies. It’s with my family,” Kaag told a Dutch newspaper. devotion She also announced her decision to leave the leadership of the PDP 66. “My work has affected my children and my husband,” she said. It is the fact that they are concerned. “My safety is a problem for them,” she said.
Kaag’s decision follows Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s surprise announcement on Monday that he is leaving politics after the collapse of his coalition government amid internal strife over immigration policy has thrown the Netherlands into a tailspin.
Kaag has faced several death threats since becoming leader of the D66 party in 2020 and then the country’s first female finance minister in 2022, after winning a historic 24 seats in elections the year before, making her the second most powerful person in the Netherlands. Politics after the ROTA.
Her progressive politics and gender often made her the target of attacks. Earlier this year, I encountered an angry, torch-wielding mob during a business visit. A man was arrested with a burning torch outside her home last year.
In May, Kaag was asked by her two daughters to quit her job, fearing for her life. Kaag said she will remain a transitional finance minister until the formation of the next government. “I don’t know what to do yet,” Kaag said when asked if she planned to leave the Netherlands. A career diplomat by occupation, Cage might consider taking on an international role.
Kaag’s departure as Finance Minister is likely to have an impact on the Dutch position in the European Union. Historically, the Netherlands has operated on the EU’s hardline spectrum, with Rota leading the resistance to the Pandemic Recovery Fund in 2020. Kaag Engage more with EU partners While trying to find a balance with member states that are less reticent on thorny issues.
Kaag resigned as foreign minister in 2021 after the Dutch parliament condemned her handling of the evacuation crisis in Afghanistan. She began her career at Royal Dutch Shell and has lived and worked in Beirut, Vienna and Khartoum as part of her time in the Foreign Service and the United Nations. She led a mission to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons in 2014.
The collapse of the Dutch government and Rutte’s subsequent announcement to leave politics is expected to put politics in limbo as it may take some time for the formation of the new government after the elections, which are expected to take place in mid-November. DM
