The Dutch prime minister and his cabinet resigned Friday as expected over an immigration controversy concerning a Somali-born legislator.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende submitted his resignation to Queen Beatrix. His conservative government has been in power for three years.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende leaves Palace Huis ten Bosch in The Hague after handing over the resignation of the Dutch cabinet to Queen Beatrix.
(Fred Ernst/Associated Press)

Politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who fled to the Netherlands in 1992, admitted earlier this year that she falsified her name and birth date on her application for asylum to escape her family and an arranged marriage. Her name before leaving Somalia was Hirsi Magan.

Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk threatened to revoke her passport over the revelation, and Ali resigned her seat.

On Tuesday, Verdonk reversed course, saying Ali's false name was technically legal because it was her grandfather's family name.

Somali-born member of the Dutch parliament Ayaan Hirsi Ali's citizenship is at the heart of the crisis leading to the resignation of the Dutch cabinet.
(Rob Keeris/Associated Press)

The flip-flop provided further ammunition for the government's critics, and Balkenende announced on Thursday his intention to tender his resignation.

Ali has been a controversial figure in the Netherlands. Her screenplay for Submission, about women suffering abuse in Muslim households, was vilified by Muslim leaders in the country.

Theo van Gogh, the film's director, was murdered in 2004 by a radical Islamist who left a note on the victim's body threatening Hirsi Ali. He is serving a life sentence.

Queen Beatrix will next meet with advisers to decide whether Balkenende has enough support to continue with a minority government or to schedule an election.