Succession probably fixed

NATO chief post: Romania clears the way for Rutte

Mark Rutte will probably succeed Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General.

(Bild: AFP/Nick Gammon)

The way has been cleared for the appointment of Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO after months of deadlock. On Thursday, Romania was the last alliance country to announce that it was giving up its opposition to the outgoing Dutch head of government being appointed to the top post.

Romanian President Klaus Johannis officially withdrew his candidacy. There is massive pressure on Johannis within the Alliance to withdraw his candidacy and thus clear the way for the outgoing Dutch head of government Mark Rutte.

On Tuesday, Hungary and Slovakia had already given up their opposition to Rutte. They justified this with promises made by the Dutchman. Romania was therefore the only one of the 32 NATO countries that had not yet spoken out in favor of Rutte. The 57-year-old wants to succeed Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in October.

Broad support for Rutte
The USA, Germany, Great Britain and France had already campaigned for Rutte in February. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for example, declared that the Dutchman was an "outstanding candidate" with his "immense experience, his great expertise in security policy and his strong diplomatic skills".

Just a few weeks later, Johannis announced his candidacy in March. He justified this by saying that Eastern Europeans were underrepresented in the alliance.