Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will replace Jens Stoltenberg as the next Secretary-General of NATO after endorsement from all 32 member-states of the alliance.
Mark Rutte’s appointment was confirmed after Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania confirmed their support for Rutte with President Klaus Iohannis withdrawing from the race on Thursday.
With the withdrawal of Iohannis confirmed during a meeting of the NATO Supreme Council, Mark Rutte was confirmed as the next leader of the alliance.
Though receiving criticism for not actively engaging in getting support from Eastern European countries over his support for the Russia project in 2014, Rutte was able to gather the support of the alliance for his candidacy.
Rutte will begin his duty as the next Secretary-General by October 2 during the run-up to the US General Election in November.
Should Donald Trump be elected as the next president of the United States, Mark Rutte will be met with serious challenges as Donald Trump pledged to cut the aid given to Ukraine of reelected as the president.