Mark Rutte’s Role in the Fragmented Political System of the Netherlands

In the article, Dutch voters’ perception of the current party and political system of the country is analyzed, along with the role of Mark Rutte – the Dutch Prime Minister from 2010 until 2024 – in this system. Rutte leaving national politics serves as a turning point that allows a retrospective assessment of what paved the way to the success of Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy in four parliamentary elections (2010, 2012, 2017 and 2021). The author aims at identifying the favorable factors in Rutte’s and his party’s electoral victories. In the article, the genealogical historical method is used to outline the party system evolution in the Netherlands as a consociational democracy (according to A. Lijphart); various approaches to electoral research are also used, most importantly the ‘funnel of causality’ developed within the psychosocial approach. The author posits that, in the fragmented Dutch political system, voters’ view on party programs and politicians' personalities are increasingly important. In particular, the personality of a politician is crucial, as differences between the programs are getting blurry; the charismatic type of authority (according to M. Weber) is also playing a growing role. Using Dutch and international statistical data, sociological surveys, and Dutch expert analytics, the author concludes that economic situation in the country and Rutte’s perception as a ‘crisis manager’ have been the foremost determinants of trust in him as a prime minister. The latter factor has also played a significant role in the party victories in 2017 and 2021. The results of the four elections studied, however, were also influenced by other factors, such as adjustments made to the party’s proposed policies.