Dutch parties agree on government pact nine months after elections

FILE PHOTO: Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives for an EU leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium October 21, 2021. Olivier Matthys/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch political parties said on Monday they had reached an agreement paving the way for caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte to form his fourth consecutive government almost nine months after elections.

The coalition will consist of the four parties that have been in power since 2017, but it took the longest such talks in Dutch history to bring them back together after the March 17 elections produced an inconclusive result.