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| - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte faced a fight to keep his decade-long leadership alive on Thursday as opposition parties called a no-confidence vote over claims he lied about coalition talks. Dubbed the "Teflon premier" for his ability to dodge scandal, Rutte and his liberal VVD party won the most seats in elections last month on the back of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. But Rutte, one of Europe's longest serving leaders, now stands accused of covering up the fact that he discussed how to rein in an outspoken member of another party during negotiations to form a coalition. The MP, Pieter Omtzigt of the Christian Democrats, was a whistleblower in a childcare scandal that toppled Rutte's previous government in January, leaving Rutte in his current role of caretaker prime minister. "I did not lie," Rutte told parliament ahead of the no-confidence motion, which was expected later Thursday or early Friday. "I have never cheated a colleague. What is my motive?" Dutch media said the country was in "uncharted territory" if Rutte loses the confidence vote, with his fate as caretaker premier and leader of the coalition talks unclear. Some lawmakers called for Dutch King Willem-Alexander to take on a role in building a new coalition, a process that can take months in the Netherlands. The row erupted last week when coalition talks were halted after one negotiator rushed out of parliament after learning she had tested positive for Covid-19, and the notes she was carrying were snapped by a photographer. Lawmaker Omtzigt's name appeared in the notes with the words "position elsewhere" -- widely seen as meaning that he should be given a ministerial post to keep him quiet. Rutte told the media at the time he had not discussed the issue -- but on Thursday he admitted that he had "remembered that wrong", while documents from the talks showed he had discussed making Omtzigt a minister. "I regret it very much," said Rutte, who has been in power since late 2010. Fuelling the sense of mystery was Rutte saying that he had only remembered after receiving a phone call on Thursday morning -- from a source whom he refused to identify. His rivals quickly pounced. "The prime minister shamelessly lied to the Netherlands for a week. But after ten years of government, the truth has caught up with him," far-right leader Geert Wilders, whose PVV party has the third most seats, said in parliament. "How will you regain confidence?" asked Sigrid Kaag, the leader of the D66 party which came second in the election and was poised to become Rutte's main coalition partner. However she appeared to leave the door open for Rutte to restore trust with her party. The row also infuriated the Christian Democrats, who are Rutte's natural allies and the second-largest party in the previous coalition. Rutte insisted he wants to stay on, with the prize of becoming the Netherlands longest-serving premier within grasp if he remains in office until the end of 2022. "I have led the country through an economic crisis, a refugee crisis and now a health crisis, a pandemic," he said. "I want to form a new coalition through and with other parties to run this country. And I hope that I get enough confidence for that." Rutte has survived a series of scandals and no-confidence votes in the past, earning him the nickname in the Netherlands of the "Teflon Premier", after the non-stick frying pan coating. Critics however pointed out that he also has a habit of claiming memory lapses during scandals such as the bombing of Iraqi civilians by the Dutch military and a row over tax dividends for companies. dk/pvh
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