Dutch Caretaker PM Wins Big Backing Austerity

The conservative Mark Rutte is now putting together a ruling coalition

Conservative Dutch leader Mark Rutte began forging a new ruling coalition Thursday after bucking a European trend by winning an election despite pushing through tough austerity measures to counter the continent's devastating debt crisis.

"Now we have to focus on forming, as soon as possible, a stable government," Rutte said as lawmakers from his free-market VVD party cheered.