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Tag Archives: elections

Big Surprises In The Dutch Provinciale Statenverkiezingen Posted by on Mar 25, 2019

Last Wednesday, thousands of stemgerechtigden (voters) flocked to the hundreds of stemlokalen (polling stations) all over the country to cast their stem (vote). Or, perhaps, the plural stemmen is more apt, as the Dutch actually had two verkiezingen (elections)! One vote for the waterschapsverkiezingen (water board elections) and the other for the Provinciale Statenverkiezingen (Provincial States elections). Today, the official results will…

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What are the Dutch Waterschappen? Posted by on Feb 18, 2019

De Waterschappen. If you live in the Netherlands, you have undoubtedly heard of these institutions. But what exactly are they? What are their responsibilities? And why do the Dutch get to vote for their waterschappen in an election alongside the provincial elections? De taak van een waterschap So, first of all – what is a waterschap? A waterschap (literally “watership”…

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Dutch Elections: The Wiv Referendum Posted by on Mar 15, 2018

This month, the Dutch will be going to the polls once again to vote. Dutch voters will have several choices to make, one of which is the referendum over de wet op de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten 2017 or the law of the intelligence and security services 2017. This law is also know as Wiv 2017, aftapwet and sleepwet…

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The Donald Trump Votewiser Posted by on Oct 3, 2016

You have probably seen the debate between Clinton and Trump last Monday. It was watched by more than 80 million people, not counting people following it online. That is a vast amount! It also did not go unnoticed in other parts of the world, and also news outlets in the Netherlands reports on the important…

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Making Your Vote Count! Posted by on Mar 16, 2015

Last week I received an unexpected surprise in the mail. Although I am only a Dutch resident, I am eligible to vote in local elections. My family and I have always been big voters, and I was very happy to know that I am able to continue exercising this democratic right. What do I need…

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European Elections! Posted by on May 22, 2014

Europese verkiezingen (European Elections) always have a lower turnout than national elections. That is not different in the Netherlands. Here, people have the opportunity to vote today for the new European Parliament. They vote for national and local parties, that will then represent them in the European Parliament in the European parties. This year, the new Commission President…

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An important day in the Netherlands – time to go vote! Posted by on Mar 19, 2014

Today, March 19, the gemeenteraadsverkiezingen (municipal, or local elections) are held in the Netherlands. They are more important than ever this year, because the gemeenten(municipalities) have more competencies than ever. For example, now they also take on the gezondheidszorg (health care), which is a big issue for the Dutch. However, the kiezersopkomst (voter turn-out) is likely to…

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