Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has framed his ninth and last budget. It was presented in the Queen's Speech today in a ceremony in parliament.

He probably thought he would be doing something else by now after his Christian Democrats (CDA) lost half their seats in the June elections. He subsequently resigned as party leader, saying he was retiring from domestic politics.

However, the tortuous talks on a new coalition government are still ongoing and, as a result, he is still caretaker premier. So time to take a look back on the political career of the man who has led the Netherlands for the last eight years.

Croquettes
Mr Balkenende first came to politics as councillor in Amstelveen, a municipality near Amsterdam, in the early 1980s. He left behind a rather strange legacy, ensuring that Amstelveen's councillors have the right to be served croquettes, a favourite Dutch fast food, when council sessions go on too late.

He entered parliament in 1998, as a member of the opposition to Wim Kok’s government. His election as CDA party leader came as a surprise in 2001.

Prime minister
Just one year later, he was prime minister, heading a cabinet with the conservative VVD and the populist and controversial Pim Fortuyn’s List party, shortly after Pim Fortuyn himself had been shot dead. Internal rows led to the fall of Mr Balkenende’s first cabinet only 87 days after it took office.

Over the following years, the CDA remained the largest party in two elections and Mr Balkenende led no less than a further three different coalitions which were brought down by various political problems. He led the country into supporting the US-led invasion of Iraq and joining the ISAF military mission in Afghanistan.

Royal difficulties
He also steered the royal family through various difficulties. These included the opposition to the marriage of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander to Máxima Zorreguieta whose father had served as a minister in Argentina's Videla regime.

The last election in June, dealt the CDA and the prime minister a major blow, reducing the number of CDA MPs by 20 and relegating the party to the fourth place after the VVD, Labour and the anti-Islam Freedom Party. After the party's disappointing showing in the poll, Mr Balkenende announced he would resign the CDA leadership and would not serve as either a minister or MP.