Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, quits politics

THERE HE WASEUVVD again, friendly, imperturbable and in command, even as he announced the end of his political career. Mark Rutte has led the Netherlands since October 2010, making him the senior national leader in the after Viktor Orban and the longest-serving Dutch prime minister in history. But on July 10th Mr Rutte told the Dutch parliament that he would not run in an early election slated for November, having unexpectedly dissolved his coalition government on July 7th over a thorny but minor dispute regarding asylum rules. It seemed a small thing to bring down a titan. But Mr Rutte’s decision was not so much a response to issues as an effort to end his time in office on his own terms.The fall of the government provoked widespread surprise. Given the limited policy stakes, many observers saw it as the prime minister’s strategy to put his centre-right Liberal () party in a better electoral position. Mr Rutte, whose sole weakness is voters’ long-standing suspicion that his sunny exterior conceals the heart of a scheming tactician, could not abide this. “In the past few days there has been speculation about my motives, and the only answer is: [the interests of] the Netherlands,” he said in a brief statement to parliament. Although it earned him long applause from MPs, not all were convinced.