The vote begins today in a Dutch general election that follows a major government scandal and strict lock-in conditions that have caused serious disorder.
The Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley, tell Anushka Asthana that the Prime Minister, Mark Rutte’s government resigned en masse in January after admitting that he had failed tens of thousands of citizens who were wrongly accused of defrauding the child benefit system. A parliamentary report describes how people from ethnic minorities in particular were singled out and demands were made to repay tens of thousands of euros.
But despite this scandal and a strict second exclusion, pre-election polls show little appetite for voters for a radical change of government. Rutte is expected to remain in a supervisory position due to the resignation of the cabinet.
Photo: Hollandse Hoogte / REX / Shutterstock
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