{"id":7209,"date":"2021-03-15T17:14:32","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T17:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/?p=7209"},"modified":"2021-03-15T17:14:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-15T17:14:40","slug":"how-the-dutch-elections-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/how-the-dutch-elections-work\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Dutch Elections Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, it’s time for new elections in the Netherlands! With 37 parties and hundreds of electable people, choosing a party and a person in that party can be daunting. So how do the Dutch make that choice?<\/p>\n

How does the Dutch voting system work?<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"Kieslijst<\/a>

The kieslijst<\/em> of the Partij voor de Dieren<\/em>. In this election, they are on Lijst 9<\/em> of 37 (Image by author)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Dutch have what’s called a\u00a0parlementaire democratie\u00a0<\/em>(parliamentary democracy) with a\u00a0meerpartijenstelsel <\/em>(multi-party system) and an evenredige vertegenwoordiging\u00a0<\/em>(proportional representation). What also stands out in the Netherlands is that there is no\u00a0kiesdrempel <\/em>(electoral threshold). This means that anyone, even a single person, can found a partij <\/em>(party). And if they receive enough votes for a zetel <\/em>(seat) in the Tweede Kamer <\/em>(Second Chamber, the Dutch House of Representatives), they actually get that seat!<\/p>\n

How many votes are required to get a seat is determined by the\u00a0kiesdeler\u00a0<\/em>(electoral quota). This is simply the amount of total votes cast divided by the number of seats – if your party reached enough votes for one seat, it gets one seat. If it got enough for two, it gets two, etcetera.<\/p>\n

Who gets a seat, and in what order is this determined?<\/strong><\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>

The Binnenhof<\/em><\/a>, the heart of Dutch politics (Image by ruddy.media<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Partijen\u00a0<\/em>can show their own preference for this order in the\u00a0kieslijst\u00a0<\/em>(electoral list). This is a list of people that will get a seat for the\u00a0Tweede Kamer\u00a0<\/em>if they get enough votes. The first on the list is the so-called\u00a0lijsttrekker\u00a0<\/em>(“list puller”, the party leader). They are the face of the party, those interviewed on its election topics and the ones on the campaign posters. Others in the top 10 might also be prominent, especially if they are part of the regeringspartijen\u00a0<\/em>(governing parties) or the current\u00a0kabinet\u00a0<\/em>(cabinet).<\/p>\n

In the Netherlands, you vote both for the party and a specific person on the\u00a0kandidatenlijst\u00a0<\/em>(candidate list) – so you have to fill in two fields to cast your vote!<\/p>\n

You can choose the first person, like most do, or somebody lower on the list. Normally, the\u00a0zetels\u00a0<\/em>are filled in order of the\u00a0kandidatenlijst<\/em>; however, if somebody has a higher number of votes and received at least 25% of the votes of the kiesdeler<\/em>, they get a\u00a0zetel<\/em> based on\u00a0voorkeurstemmen\u00a0<\/em>(preference votes). So if Eva Akeboom, on the list above on place 9, receives more votes than Esther Ouwehand, the\u00a0lijsttrekker\u00a0<\/em>on place 1, she will receive the first\u00a0zetel<\/em>!<\/p>\n

As you can tell, your vote really means something, as you can directly vote somebody into power, even if they don’t get all the votes. So a vote in the Netherlands carries a lot of weight, even if you vote for a smaller partij<\/em>. Of course, with so many\u00a0partijen<\/em>, governing might be more difficult, as many more interests need to be taken into account. This can lead to extremely long formaties <\/em>(formations, forming of the coalition).<\/p>\n

After the elections, a\u00a0coalitie\u00a0<\/em>(coalition) is formed of different parties to reach a\u00a0meerderheid\u00a0<\/em>(majority) of the\u00a0Tweede Kamer <\/em>by a formateur <\/em>(“formator”) that is appointed by the Tweede Kamer<\/em>. This formateur <\/em>is intended to lead talks to reach a coalitie <\/em>and normally becomes minister-president <\/em>(prime minister). With a regeerakkoord\u00a0<\/em><\/a>(“government agreement”, coalition agreement),\u00a0coalitiepartijen\u00a0<\/em>(coalition parties) negotiate the main issues that will be addressed by the new\u00a0kabinet<\/em>. Coalitiepartijen\u00a0<\/em>also offer\u00a0ministers\u00a0<\/em>(ministers) and\u00a0staatssecretarissen\u00a0<\/em>(“state secretaries”, junior ministers).<\/p>\n

How do I decide who to vote for in the Dutch elections?<\/strong><\/h1>\n