Dutch Prime Minister's New Role: Rutte Increasingly Likely New NATO Secretary General

(Patria) - The chances of Mark Rutte becoming the new NATO Secretary General continue to grow. New member Finland also supports his candidacy, which was evident at the security conference in Munich. Incoming Finnish President Stubb says he wishes Rutte "good luck" in the position.

The highest Dutch soldier, General Onno Eichelsheim, also says things "actually look very positive." According to him, there are "great" chances that Rutte will take over the position from the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg.

He emphasized that Rutte has the support of the United States and most other Western countries. The support of the US, as the most important military power within NATO, is particularly important.

"Of course, some conversations will still have to take place here and there," Eichelsheim said, but at the security conference in Munich, behind the scenes, people are talking "only positively." "I think he is a very strong candidate."

It will likely become clear in April or May who will be the new head of NATO.

The names of Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Latvian Foreign Minister Karins are also mentioned, but according to NATO diplomats, no country is campaigning. A person involved previously told NOS.nl that there is "no mistake" in marking April 4th of this year in diaries and planners. NATO will celebrate its 75th anniversary then, and foreign ministers will meet in Brussels.

What happens next is unknown territory. It is likely that there will be no new cabinet on April 4th, and Rutte will therefore still be the caretaker prime minister. It then depends on how quickly Rutte takes over the NATO chief position. The mandate of the current Secretary General Stoltenberg lasts until October 1st.

"You can replace him, but we don't have a schedule for it," says Wim Voermans, professor of constitutional and administrative law in Leiden. "It has not happened before in parliamentary history that an outgoing prime minister is replaced by someone else".

According to him, the Council of Ministers decides on this.

"It makes political, as well as substantive sense, that it will be someone from within the VVD party of the outgoing cabinet."