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For almost eight years he has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands on behalf of the VVD: Mark Rutte. Nothing seems to stick to him. Verbally he is the boss of everyone. Problems are solved or laughed away. In the meantime his authority also seems undisputed in Europe. But the run-up to that premiership was far from smooth, his leadership was repeatedly questioned. Rutte became the leader of the VVD in 2006 after a narrow victory in the internal leadership battle with Rita Verdonk. In the years that followed, the party and party leader searched for a recognizable face. How should the party profile itself? What was the strength of the leader? Voters seemed to have little confidence in him; the opinion polls were dramatic. In retrospect it is almost a miracle that the VVD became the largest party in the country in 2010. Andere Tijden goes back to the early days of party leader Rutte when the VVD and the future Prime Minister were searching. #VVD #MarkRutte