The Netherlands Government

The politics of the Netherlands occurs in the context of a parliamentary representative. It is a constitutional monarchy and a decentralized unitary state. The country has been served by the monarch since March 16, 1815. The state is described as consociational state. This implies that the powers are shared between the elected leaders and the monarch. It has a multiparty system with the party having the freedom to elect their representatives to the parliament.

Netherlands has numerous parties competing for parliamentary seats. However, they collaborate to form a coalition government after the election. Elections are held at six different territorial levels: the representatives of the EU, the state, the 12 provinces of Netherlands, the 25 water boards, and the 403 municipalities. General elections are held after every 4 years. The municipal elections are always held two years after a year that can be divided by four while the provincial elections are held a year after municipal elections. City councils and states-provincial are not dissolved. Dutch citizens living outside the country are entitled to vote using the postal vote.

The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral parliament in Netherlands. The upper house is the Senate. The two houses of representatives are located in The Hague. They are located in the building complex of Binnenhof. Binnenhof hosts several other ministries and government offices. Catshuis is the state residence of the prime minister of Netherlands. It has been serving the purpose since 1963. The construction of the Hague-based building started in 1651. It is located on the road leading to Scheveningen. The official residence of the current king, Willem Alexander has been Noordeinde Palace. Noordeinde Palace is situated in the province of South Holland, the Hague.

Major political parties in the Netherlands include, but are not limited to, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the Party for Freedom, the Christian Democratic Appeal, the Democrats 66, the GreenLeft and the Socialist party.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Amsterdam
Languages	Dutch (official)
Ethnic Groups	Dutch 78.6%, EU 5.8%, Turkish 2.4%, Indonesian 2.2%, Moroccan 2.2%, Surinamese 2.1%, Bonairian, Saba Islander, Sint Eustatian 0.8%, other 5.9% (2014 est.)
Religion	Roman Catholic 28%, Protestant 19% (includes Dutch Reformed 9%, Protestant Church of The Netherlands, 7%, Calvinist 3%), other 11% (includes about 5% Muslim and fewer numbers of Hindu, Buddhist, Jehovah's Witness, and Orthodox), none 42% (2009 est.)
Government	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Independance	23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)
Area	41,543.00 km²
Water Area	7,650.00 km²
Land Area	33,893.00 km²
Population	17,016,967.00 An area known as the Randstad, anchored by the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, and Utrecht, is the most densely populated region; the north tends to be less dense, though sizeable communities can be found throughout the entire country
Location	Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany
No. Bordering Countries	2
Bordering Countries	Belgium 478 km, Germany 575 km
GDP(PPP)	$871,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$50,800.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, mineral fuels, food and livestock.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Germany, China, and Belgium.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, and foodstuffs.
Climate	Temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Terrain	Mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast
Learn More	Netherlands

The Netherlands Government

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