The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, should overcome this ordeal, but the “Nokiagate” which agitates his country risks being an additional handicap for the head of government, in office for twelve years and struggling since the formation of his fourth coalition. , in January. The liberal leader was accused by the daily From Volkskrant of having illegally erased text messages received on his mobile phone, in violation of a so-called “archives” law, which obliges leaders to keep a record of their exchanges, in particular to justify and explain the political choices they make. This legislation is also supposed to allow parliamentarians and journalists to be properly informed.
It is on this basis in particular that the daily From Volkskrant recently sued the Prime Minister. On May 16, the Landsadvocaat – an independent lawyer responsible for assisting public authorities in legal proceedings – reported that, for several years, Mr Rutte had deleted the messages received on his mobile. This one, an older generation Nokia, did not have enough memory to absorb more than twenty messages, argued Mr. Rutte. Two days later, publicly wondering why he clung to “that stupid little device”he appeared with a smartphone in his hand, now claiming to be trying to “tinker” with new technology, witnessing live “hell”.
During a contact with the press, the Prime Minister denied any infringement and specified that all the messages which he considered important had been transmitted to his colleagues or to the administration. From Volkskrant would have received a part of them, but the newspaper estimated them “unbelievable”.
many questions
The Chamber of Deputies wanted to know more and summoned the head of government on May 18, against whom the Freedom Party (extreme right) of Geert Wilders had tabled a motion of censure supported by the radical left and other political parties. ‘opposition. Wearing, for once, a severe face, Mr. Rutte, his voice veiled, repeated that he had not wanted to conceal anything and deplored that certain elected officials see everything ” in black and white “.
He escaped a negative vote, without being able to dismiss the many questions that have surfaced in recent years on his management: about the pandemic, the questionable granting of a public market for masks, a project (abandoned) on the abolition of the tax on corporate dividends, the attempt to “placard” a competitor, or even about the “benefits affair”, an administrative blunder which unfairly penalized thousands of families, wrongly accused of fraud.
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