Elections in the Netherlands
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Elections in the Netherlands gives information on election and election results in the Netherlands. An election is a process in which a vote is held to elect candidates to an office. It is the mechanism by which a democracy fills elective offices in the legislature, and sometimes the executive and judiciary, and in which electorates choose local government officials.
- See election for a more comprehensive discussion and the List of democracy and elections-related topics for an overview on related topics.
The Netherlands elects on national level a legislature. The Estates-General (Staten-Generaal) has two chambers. The Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer) has 150 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation. Elections are also called after dissolution of the Second Chamber. The First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) has 75 members, elected for a four year term by the provincial councillors on the basis of the proportional representation at the provincial elections. The Netherlands has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.
Candidates at the elections of the Second Chamber are chosen from party lists resulting in proportional representation. The way representatives are elected is subject to debate, as the minister of Admistrative Renewal has proposed a new voting system based on additional member system.
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Timing
The maximum parliamentary term is four years and elections are always held almost four years after the previous one. An exception is made if there is severe conflict between the Tweede Kamer and cabinet or after a cabinet crisis.
Eligibility
Every Dutch citizen who has reached the age of 18 is eligible to vote or to get elected as member of the Tweede Kamer. One is deprived of the vote of he or she is mentally incapable of making a reasoned choice or has lost his right to vote by court sentence. To be elected as a member the same rules apply. Two weeks before the election all voters receive a card in which they are called to vote (this card is the evidence that one is a registered voter and it must be handed in in order to vote). Voting is not compulsory.
System
As described above the Second Chamber is elected using a system of party lists, resulting in proportional representation.
Post-election
Polls close at 21.00 and votes are called immediately. The first results are pouring in five minutes after the polls are closed. Traditionally the municipalities with the least inhabitants, Schiermonnikoog and Renswoude, are the first to announce the results of their municipality. In almost all municipalities voting is done through computers. The final results are known around midnight and officially announced the next morning and the 150 seats allocated.
Election results since 1888
- Dutch general election, 1888
- Dutch general election, 1891
- Dutch general election, 1894
- Dutch general election, 1897
- Dutch general election, 1901
- Dutch general election, 1905
- Dutch general election, 1909
- Dutch general election, 1913
- Dutch general election, 1917
- Dutch general election, 1918
- Dutch general election, 1922
- Dutch general election, 1925
- Dutch general election, 1929
- Dutch general election, 1933
- Dutch general election, 1937
- Dutch general election, 1946
- Dutch general election, 1948
- Dutch general election, 1952
- Dutch general election, 1956
- Dutch general election, 1959
- Dutch general election, 1963
- Dutch general election, 1967
- Dutch general election, 1971
- Dutch general election, 1972
- Dutch general election, 1977
- Dutch general election, 1981
- Dutch general election, 1982
- Dutch general election, 1986
- Dutch general election, 1989
- Dutch general election, 1994
- Dutch general election, 1998
- Dutch general election, 2002
- Dutch general election, 2003
See also
External links
- Electionworld (http://www.electionworld.org/netherlands.htm)
- Adam Carr's Election Archive (http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/n/netherlands/)
- parties and elections (http://www.parties-and-elections.de/netherlands.html)nl:Tweede-Kamerverkiezingen