Dutch labor party leader resigns

Dutch Labor Party (PvdA) leader Job Cohen on Monday announced he would stand down both as head of the party and as a member of the Dutch parliament. "Two years ago ... I thought I could give an effective contribution to a society in which burdens and benefits should be more fairly distributed and where people, even if they are very different, would be treated equally," Cohen said during a farewell press conference. "Looking back, I regret that in the political and media driven environment of 'The Hague,' I have not been able to show how the road to such a decent society could be achieved," he added. The PvdA has not yet named a successor. Cohen, 64, quit as mayor of Amsterdam in 2010 and succeeded Wouter Bos as PvdA leader for the general elections. His party lost the election by one seat to the Liberal Party VVD led by Mark Rutte, the current Prime Minister. Since then, however, the party's public support has plummeted.