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84-522: The NHM was a private company which issued publicly traded shares. According to the king, the NHM would act to leverage economic activity and encourage the development of national wealth. However, in practice it came down to expanding existing trade, by gathering data and searching for new markets as well as financing industry and shipping. Its close association with the Dutch government meant it played an important role in

168-737: A House of Representatives ( Tweede Kamer ) and a Senate ( Eerste Kamer ). Both chambers are housed in the Binnenhof in The Hague and discuss proposed legislation and review the actions of the cabinet. Only the House of Representatives has the right to propose or amend legislation while the Senate discusses its value regarding the Dutch law since the Netherlands has no constitutional court. Currently there are 150 members of

252-440: A consociational state . Dutch politics and governance are characterised by a common striving for broad consensus on important issues, within both of the political community and society as a whole. The Dutch Constitution lists the basic civil and social rights of the Dutch citizens and it describes the position and function of the institutions that have executive, legislative and judiciary power. The constitution applies to

336-667: A constitutional court and judges do not have the authority to review laws on their constitutionality. International treaties and the Statute of the Kingdom, however, overrule Dutch law and the Constitution, and judges are allowed to review laws against these in a particular court case. Furthermore, all legislation that is not a law in the strict sense of the word (such as policy guidelines or laws proposed by provincial or municipal government) can be tested on its constitutionality. Amendments to

420-532: A certain wealth. Universal male suffrage would be granted in 1917 and women would receive suffrage in 1919. At this occasion, the electoral system was changed to proportional representation . The States General were suspended from 1940 to 1945, during the German occupation . In 1956 the number of members of the Senate was enlarged to 75, and that of the House of Representatives to 150. (joint session of both houses) The States General meets in joint session at least once

504-632: A kind of ambassadors acting with a mandate limited by instruction and obligatory consultation ( last en ruggespraak ). The States General, in which the voting was by province, each of the seven provinces having one vote, took on many executive functions after the Council of State of the Netherlands had temporarily come under English influence, due to the Treaty of Nonsuch . The States General for this reason since 1593 remained continually in session until their dissolution in 1795. The presidency rotated weekly among

588-517: A multiparty system. The parties currently represented in the Dutch House of Representatives are: The Council of State is an advisory body of cabinet on constitutional and judicial aspects of legislation and policy. All proposed legislation is sent to the Council of State for advice. Although the advice is not binding, the cabinet is required to respond to the advice and it often plays a significant role in

672-454: A programme of welfare state reforms, healthcare privatisation, and stricter immigration policies . On 1 June 2005, the Dutch electorate voted in a referendum against the proposed European Constitution by a majority of 61.54%, three days after 57.67% of the French voters had rejected the treaty . In June 2006, D66 withdrew its support for the coalition in the aftermath of the upheaval about

756-574: A role in public and political debate. The judiciary comprises eleven district courts, four courts of appeal, three administrative courts of appeal ( Central Appeals Tribunal , Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal and Council of State) and the Supreme Court . All judicial appointments are made by the Government. Judges are appointed for life until they retire at the age of 70. As part of the Dutch tradition of depoliticised consensus-based decision making,

840-555: A traditional separation of powers ; according to the Constitution, the States General and the government (the monarch and the ministers) share legislative power . All legislation has to pass through the Council of State ( Dutch : Raad van State ) for advice and the Social and Economic Council advises the government on most socio-economic legislation. Executive power is reserved for the government. The Social and Economic Council also has

924-485: A year, at the opening of the parliamentary year, when the king gives his Speech from the Throne on Prince's Day . On special occasions, such as when a States Generate vote on a marriage of a member of the royal house, an inauguration of the monarch , or the death of a member of the royal house, both houses also meet in a joint session ( Verenigde Vergadering ), with the president of the Senate presiding. They take place in

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1008-448: Is the final court for administrative law . Although King Willem-Alexander takes these functions seriously, he refrains from exerting his power in these positions. Until 2012, the monarch also played a central role in the formation of a cabinet after a general election or a cabinet crisis. The monarch used to appoint the informateur , who chairs the formation talks, after consulting the parliamentary leaders of all parties represented in

1092-780: The Staten-Generaal . The "southern" States General after 1579 were a continuation of the States General as they had been under the Habsburg Netherlands. After the (re)conquest of most of the territory of the States of Brabant and of Flanders these States again sent representatives to these States General for the Southern Netherlands , together with the "obedient" provinces of the Union of Arras. The southern States General only occasionally came in session, however. The last regular session

1176-402: The Binnenhof , and initiates laws and policy. While most of the ministers head government ministries, since 1939 it has been permissible to appoint ministers without portfolio . The Prime Minister of the Netherlands presides over the cabinet and is the most important political figure of the Dutch government. The national government ( Rijksoverheid or het Rijk ) consists of ministries,

1260-531: The Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis and De Nederlandsche Bank . In addition, representatives of environmental and consumers' organisations are represented in SER working groups. Other prominent advisory bodies are The Netherlands is divided into twelve provinces, which are responsible for spatial planning , health policy and recreation , within the bounds prescribed by the national government. Furthermore, they oversee

1344-516: The Caribbean Netherlands is formed by three public bodies sometimes called "special municipalities" which are not part of a province. They are governed by a Lieutenant-general ( Dutch : gezaghebber ) and "eilandgedeputeerden" which are responsible to the island council , which is elected by direct suffrage. Their activities are similar to but wider than those of municipalities. Furthermore, there are water boards which are responsible for

1428-585: The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), which became a major force in Dutch politics, participating in governments uninterruptedly from 1977 until 1994. Meanwhile, the conservative liberal VVD and D66 made large electoral gains. The Dutch welfare state had become the most extensive social security system in the world by the early eighties, but it came into crisis when spending rose due to dramatic high unemployment rates and poor economic growth. The early eighties saw unemployment rise to over 11% and

1512-581: The Christian Historical Union (CHU) and the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). Since no party ever won an absolute majority, these political parties had to work together in coalition governments. These alternated between a centre-left " Roman/Red " coalition of PvdA, KVP, ARP and CHU and a centre-right coalition of VVD, KVP, ARP and CHU. In the 1960s, new parties appeared, which were mostly popular with young voters, who felt less bound to

1596-713: The Netherlands consisting of the Senate ( Dutch : Eerste Kamer ) and the House of Representatives ( Dutch : Tweede Kamer ). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague . The States General originated in the 15th century as an assembly of all the provincial states of the Burgundian Netherlands . In 1579, during the Dutch Revolt , the States General split as the northern provinces openly rebelled against Philip II , and

1680-662: The Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights) in the Binnenhof, except for the inauguration of the monarch, which occurs in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam . The rest of the time, the two chambers sit separately. Constitutionally, all functions of the parliament are given to both houses, except for the rights of initiative and amendment, which only the Tweede Kamer has. The Joint Session also appoints

1764-399: The budget deficit rose to 10.7% of the national income. The centre-right and centre-left coalitions of CDA–VVD and CDA–PvdA reformed the Dutch welfare state to bring the budget deficit under control and to create jobs. Social benefits were reduced, taxes lowered and businesses deregulated. Gradually the economy recovered and the budget deficit and unemployment were reduced considerably. When

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1848-657: The introduction of the Euro , the enlargement of the European Union , the enlargement of NATO , the aftermath of the Orange Revolution and other factors have contributed to that. The purple coalition lost its majority in the 2002 general election due to the rise of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF), the new political party led by the flamboyant populist Pim Fortuyn . He campaigned on an anti-immigration programme and spoke of

1932-548: The municipal executive , consisting of the mayor and a number of aldermen. The mayor is appointed by the national government and responsible to the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. The aldermen are appointed by, and responsible to the municipal council. The major cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam are subdivided into administrative areas ( stadsdelen ), which have their own (limited) responsibilities. Local government on

2016-478: The "Purple Chaos" (Dutch: Puinhopen van Paars ). Fortuyn was shot dead nine days before the elections. The LPF entered the House of Representatives with one-sixth of the seats, while the PvdA lost half its seats. A cabinet was formed by CDA, VVD, and LPF, led by Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende . It proved short-lived: after only 87 days in power, the coalition fell apart as a result of consecutive conflicts within

2100-447: The CDA, continuing their 2010 loss and winning only 13 seats, and GroenLinks, sinking from 10 to only 4 seats. The SP (15 seats), Christian Union (5 seats) and PvdD (2 seats) were stable, whereas D66 (10 to 12 seats) and SGP (2 to 3 seats) won mildly. Newcomer was 50PLUS , a pensioners' party, gaining 2 seats. In November 2012, after a relatively short cabinet formation, the second Rutte cabinet

2184-629: The Catalan and Valencian Generalitat and the Estates General of France during the Ancien Régime . Several geographic place names are derived from the States General. In 1609, Henry Hudson established Dutch trade in Staten Island , New York City and named the island Staaten Eylandt after the States General. Isla de los Estados , now an Argentine island , was also named after this institution,

2268-464: The Constitution must be approved by both Houses of the States General ( Dutch : Staten-Generaal ) twice. The first time around, this requires a majority vote. After parliament has been dissolved and a general election has been held, both Houses must approve the proposed amendments again with a two-thirds majority. Major political institutions are the monarchy, the cabinet, the States General and

2352-579: The Constitution. Apart from the two Houses of Parliament and the Council of State, these are the Court of Audit and the National Ombudsman . The Court of Audit investigates whether public funds are collected and spent legitimately and effectively. The National Ombudsman investigates complaints about the functioning and practices of government. As with the advice of the Council of State, the reports from these organisations are not easily put aside and often play

2436-594: The Dutch East Indies after the depression of the years of French domination (1795–1814), and the final collapse of the VOC two decades earlier. With playful reference to the greatness of the VOC, the NHM was colloquially known as Kompenie Ketjil or the "little company". The NHM financing of trade and shipping led to the development of a network of branches which increasingly engaged in financing and banking operations. The network extended throughout South East Asia and on

2520-422: The House of Representatives and 75 Senators. Members of the House are elected directly every four years using party-list proportional representation . Representatives are chosen on personal title, so when a member no longer agrees with his or her party, the member can decide to stay in the chamber, either as an independent representative, or as a member of another parliamentary party. If a member decides to resign,

2604-560: The LPF and between LPF ministers. In the ensuing January 2003 general election , the LPF dropped to only five percent of the seats in the House of Representatives. The left-wing Socialist Party (SP) led by Jan Marijnissen became the fourth strongest party there. The centre-right second Balkenende cabinet was formed by the CDA, the VVD, and the D66. Against popular sentiment, the right-wing coalition initiated

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2688-545: The Netherlands in 1848, the (now 39) members of the Senate were elected by the States-Provincial, and the members of the House of Representatives were directly elected in electoral districts (one for every 45,000 electors, so the number of members of that House became variable for a while). The House of Representatives became more powerful at the same time, as it received the important rights of inquiry and amendment , while its budgetary rights were strengthened. Formally,

2772-415: The Netherlands . After the constitutional amendment of 1848, members of the House of Representatives were directly elected, and the rights of the States General were vastly extended, practically establishing parliamentary democracy in the Netherlands. Since 1918, the members of the House of Representatives have been elected for four years using party-list proportional representation , while the 75 members of

2856-611: The Netherlands used to be a neutral state, it has joined many international organisations since World War II , most prominently the United Nations , NATO and the European Union . The Dutch economy is very open and heavily reliant on international trade. One of the more controversial international issues surrounding the Netherlands is its liberal policy towards soft drugs . Dutch policies on recreational drugs , prostitution , same-sex marriage , abortion and euthanasia are among

2940-435: The Netherlands was also Grand Duke of Luxembourg . The current monarch is Willem-Alexander , while the heir apparent is Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange . Constitutionally, the monarch is head of state and has a role in the legislative process, as he has to co-sign every law to make it valid. The monarch is also ex officio chair of the Council of State , which advises the cabinet on every piece of legislation and

3024-567: The Netherlands, one of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The Netherlands comprises all of the European territory, as well as the Caribbean islands of Bonaire , Sint Eustatius and Saba . The Kingdom as a whole (the Netherlands along with Aruba , Curaçao and Sint Maarten ) has its own Statute , describing its federate political system. The Netherlands does not have

3108-515: The Prime Minister has to request the monarch to dismiss the cabinet. The government of the Netherlands ( regering ) constitutionally consists of the monarch and the ministers. The monarch only plays a role in the appointment of ministers, and is not involved in decision-making. The ministers collectively form the Council of Ministers . This executive council meets every Friday in the Trêveszaal at

3192-543: The PvdA withdrew its support for the fourth Balkenende cabinet. The PvdA disagreed with prolonging the Dutch military involvement in Afghanistan . In the following 2010 general election , the VVD became the biggest party with 31 seats, followed closely by the PvdA with 30 seats. The right-wing PVV went from 9 to 24 seats, while the CDA lost half of their support and was left with 21 seats. The SP lost 10 of its 25 seats, and both D66 and GroenLinks got 10 seats. The Christian Union,

3276-629: The Senate are elected by the States-Provincial every four years. On exceptional occasions as stipulated by the Constitution or the Charter for the Kingdom , the two houses form a joint session known as the United Assembly ( verenigde vergadering) . The president of the Senate serves as President of the States General during a United Assembly. The archaic Dutch word staten originally related to

3360-580: The Spanish name being a translation of the Dutch name. Abel Tasman originally gave the name Staten Landt to what would become New Zealand. Staaten River is a river in the Cape York Peninsula , Australia. Historically, the convocation of the States General consisted of delegates from the States of the several provinces, like the States of Brabant , and dated from about the middle of the 15th century, under

3444-695: The States General. Twenty per cent of the new Republic's territory, known as the Generality Lands , was so under the direct rule of the Generality ( generaliteit ). The Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company were also under its general supervision; for this reason Staten Island in New York City (originally New Amsterdam ) and Staten Island, Argentina (Discovered by Dutchman Jacob le Maire ), are among places named after

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3528-564: The Union of Utrecht remained represented in the States General. The States of Brabant and of Flanders lost their representation after 1587 as most of their territory had been conquered by the Army of Flanders , and it was not restored after part of that territory (together with parts of the Duchy of Limburg ) was reconquered by the Dutch Republic. The Drenthe territory was never directly represented in

3612-552: The advice of the High Councils of State , cannot easily be set aside. The SER heads a system of PBOs , self-regulating organisations that contribute to making laws for specific economic sectors. The following organisations are represented in the Social and Economic Council, accounting for two thirds of its membership: The remaining third of the members of the council are appointed by the government. These include professors of economics and related fields, as well as representatives of

3696-425: The assembly that came to be known as Staten-Generaal (a plurale tantum ), or Algemene Staten (General States). The English word "states" may have a similar meaning as the Dutch word staten , as in e.g. States of Jersey . The English phrases "States General" is probably a literal translation of the Dutch word. Historically, the same term was used for the name of other national legislatures as, for example,

3780-454: The asylum procedure of Ayaan Hirsi Ali instigated by immigration minister Rita Verdonk . As a result, the caretaker third Balkenende cabinet was formed by CDA and VVD. The ensuing November 2006 general election saw a major advance of the SP, which almost tripled in size and became the third largest party with 17% of the seats, while the moderate PvdA lost a quarter of its seats. At the other end of

3864-564: The central government to discuss matters of general importance with the States of the provinces, especially the special subsidies known as beden or aides . Legislative and executive functions were still reserved for the Sovereign in these years At the start of the Dutch Revolt the States General (who were then not continually in session) remained loyal to the overlord of the Habsburg Netherlands , Philip II of Spain (who did not have

3948-509: The country's inland waterways, groundwater levels, polders , dikes and other waterworks . These boards are ruled by representatives of companies, farmers and nature conservation organisations and representatives who are elected by citizens in the area. They have the power to tax their residents. The foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to Transatlantic relations , European integration , international development and international law . While historically

4032-729: The development of trade between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies . Its former headquarters in De Bazel in Amsterdam houses the Amsterdam Archives today. The NHM is sometimes called the successor of the Dutch East India Company or VOC, as it was also a private company that issued shares and financed trade with the Dutch East Indies. The establishment of the NHM can be seen as an attempt to bring new impetus to trade with

4116-500: The elections of the provincial councils, via a system of proportional representation . Nowadays, the Senate is mainly considered to be a body of elder statesmen reconsidering legislation at ease, away from the pressure of daily political and media hypes. The position of senator is a part-time job as the institution meets once a week. The system of proportional representation, combined with the historical social division between Catholics, Protestants, socialists and liberals, has resulted in

4200-403: The empty seat falls to the original party collecting the votes, and is offered to the highest placed candidate on the party's electoral list who was not elected. Coalition governments may fall before their term expires, which usually results in early dissolution of the House and new elections. Members of the Senate are elected indirectly by provincial councilors, again every four years, just after

4284-729: The end of the annexation to the First French Empire by Napoleon I of France in 1813. These had, however, little resemblance to the States General under the Republic. Beginning with the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands the States General was a unicameral legislature, without executive functions, in which the 55 representatives no longer represented the States-Provincial (though those newly constituted entities elected them, now acting as electoral colleges), but

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4368-720: The ensuing debate in Parliament. In addition, the Council is the highest administrative court . The Council is ex officio chaired by the monarch. The probable heir to the throne becomes a member of the Council when reaching legal adulthood. The monarch leaves daily affairs to the Vice-President of the Council of State , currently Thom de Graaf , and the other councillors, who are mainly legal specialists, former ministers, members of parliament and judges or professors of law. The Dutch political system has five so-called High Councils of State , which are explicitly regarded as independent by

4452-408: The entire people of the Netherlands and without last en ruggespraak (the Netherlands had become a unitary state under the Batavian Republic and the federal structure of the Dutch Republic was not restored). The States General became a bicameral legislature under the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, in which the 50 members of the Senate were appointed for life by the new King from

4536-406: The expulsion of the French, the Prince of Orange was proclaimed Sovereign Prince of the Netherlands. The new monarchy was confirmed in 1815 at the Congress of Vienna as part of the re-arrangement of Europe after the fall of Napoleon . The House of Orange-Nassau was given the present-day Netherlands and Belgium to govern as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands . Between 1815 and 1890, the King of

4620-434: The far-left parties lost much electoral support in the 1986 elections, they decided to merge into the new GroenLinks in 1989, with considerable success. In the 1994 general election , the CDA lost nearly half its seats, while D66 doubled in size. For the first time in eighty years, a coalition was formed without the Christian democrats. The purple coalition was formed between PvdA, D66 and VVD. The colour purple symbolised

4704-417: The feudal classes (" estates ", or standen in Dutch) in which medieval European societies were stratified; the clergy, the nobility and the commons. The word eventually came to mean the political body in which the respective estates were represented. Each province in the Habsburg Netherlands had its own staten . These representative bodies (and not their constituent estates) in turn were represented in

4788-499: The government often makes use of advisory councils composed of academic specialists or representatives of stakeholders. The most prominent advisory council is the Social and Economic Council ( Dutch : Sociaal Economische Raad , SER), which is composed of representatives of trade unions and employers' organisations , along with government-appointed specialists. It is consulted at an early stage in financial, economic and social policy-making. It advises government and its advice, like

4872-401: The implementing organizations that fall under the responsibility of ministries, inspectorates, and High Councils of State, and is involved in the preparation and implementation of the plans of the government and parliament. Some of the most highly regarded Prime Ministers of the Netherlands include: The Dutch Parliament, officially known as the States General of the Netherlands, consists of

4956-497: The judicial system. There are three other High Colleges of State, which stand on an equal footing with parliament but have a less political role, of which the Council of State is the most important. Other levels of government are the municipalities, the water boards and the provinces. Although not mentioned in the Constitution, political parties and the social partners organised in the Social and Economic Council are important political institutions as well. The Netherlands does not have

5040-404: The lower house of the States General. Because this advice was a matter of public record, the monarch could not easily take a direction that was contrary to the advice of a majority in parliament. On the other hand, what was actually talked about behind the closed doors of the palace was not known. Upon the conclusion of formation talks, the monarch appoints the cabinet. Upon the fall of a government,

5124-434: The mixing of socialist red with liberal blue. During the purple years, which lasted until 2002, the government introduced legislation on abortion , euthanasia , and gay marriage . The purple coalition also marked a period of remarkable economic prosperity. Since 2000, the Netherlands has largely supported the European Union and taken marked steps to integrate itself with it and improve its ties with NATO . Globalization ,

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5208-449: The monarch if there is no heir to the throne and the regent is unable to exercise his or her powers. An important question is whether the relationship between cabinet and parliament should be dualistic or monistic. That is, whether ministers and leaders of governing parliamentary parties should prepare important political decisions. According to the dualistic position, members of parliament of governing parties should remain independent of

5292-435: The most liberal in the world. The Netherlands has been a constitutional monarchy since 1813 and a parliamentary democracy since 1848. Previously, it was a republic from 1581 to 1806, and a kingdom between 1806 and 1810 (it was part of France between 1810 and 1813). Before 1917, the Netherlands had a two-round system with census suffrage (per the Constitution of 1814), in which only property-owning adult males had

5376-415: The northern States General replaced Philip II as the supreme authority of the Dutch Republic in 1581. The States General were replaced by the National Assembly after the Batavian Revolution of 1795, only to be restored in 1814, when the country had regained its sovereignty. The States General was divided into a Senate and a House of Representatives in 1815, with the establishment of the United Kingdom of

5460-418: The parliamentary fractions of the VVD, CDA, D66, GroenLinks and the Christian Union, together disposing of a parliamentary majority, came to a temporary agreement for the 2013 budget. What followed in September 2012 was the 2012 general election , in which both the VVD and the PvdA won considerably, gaining 41 and 38 seats respectively. The three parties that lost most were the PVV, sinking from 24 to 15 seats,

5544-477: The pillars. The post-war babyboom meant that there had been a demographic shift to lower ages. On top of that, the voting age was lowered, first from 23 to 21 years in 1963 and then to 18 years in 1972. The most successful new party was the progressive liberal Democrats 66 (D66), which proposed democratisation to break down pillarisation. Pillarisation declined, with the three Christian democratic parties losing almost half of their votes. In 1977 they merged into

5628-402: The policy and finances of municipalities and water boards. Provincial councils are directly elected by inhabitants every four years. Executive authority is exercised by the King's (or Queens's) commissioner and the College of the provincial executive . The commissioner is appointed by the national government and is responsible to the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations . Members of

5712-440: The position of the States General was strengthened, because henceforth the ministers of the Crown became politically accountable to them, making the role of the King largely ceremonial. With the constitutional revision of 1888 the number of members of the House of Representatives was fixed at 100, while the Senate was enlarged to 50 members. The suffrage was enlarged at the same time, but still limited to male citizens possessing

5796-448: The provincial executive are appointed by, and responsible to the provincial council. Local government in the Netherlands is formed by 342 municipalities (as of 2023). Municipalities are responsible for education , spatial planning and social security , within the bounds prescribed by the national and provincial government. Like provincial councils, municipal councils are directly elected every four years. Municipalities are governed by

5880-414: The rebellion. After the Act of Abjuration in 1581 the northern States General replaced Philip II as the supreme authority of the northern Netherlands, which then became known as the United Provinces . This was a confederation in which most government functions remained with the provincial States (and local authorities, like the Vroedschappen ). These delegated representatives to the States General as

5964-399: The resurrected ridderschappen , representative bodies of the aristocracy, and the 110 members of the House of Representatives (55 for the North and 55 for the South) were elected by the States-Provincial (in their new form). After the Belgian Revolution of 1830 under the Kingdom of the Netherlands the States General remained bicameral, but after the revision of the Constitution of

6048-445: The right to vote. Under influence of the rising socialist movement the requirements were gradually reduced until in 1917 the present party-list proportional representation voting system with universal manhood suffrage was instituted, expanded in 1919 to include women. Until 1966, Dutch politics was characterised by pillarisation . Society was separated into several segments (pillars) which lived separately from each other and there

6132-607: The rule of the Dukes of Burgundy . The first important session was the Estates General of 1464 that met on 9 January 1464 in Bruges , Flanders , on the initiative of the States of Holland , the States of Flanders , and the States of Brabant , with the initially reluctant agreement of Philip the Good . Later, regular sessions were held at Coudenberg in Brussels , Brabant . The next important event

6216-565: The senior representatives of the provinces. Under the Union of Utrecht treaty the States General formally was the sovereign power, representing the Republic in foreign affairs and making treaties with foreign monarchs. As such the honorific title of the States General collectively was Hoogmogende Heren (mightiest, or very mighty, lords). Due to the vagaries of the Eighty Years' War in which territories were lost and (partially) reconquered, not all territories that had originally signed up for

6300-622: The smallest coalition party, lost 1 of its 6 seats. Both the SGP and the PvdD kept their 2 seats. The following cabinet formation eventually resulted in the first Rutte cabinet , a minority government formed by VVD and CDA, supported in parliament by the PVV. In April 2012, the PVV withdrew its support for the Rutte cabinet after failed negotiations about the government budget for 2013. A political crisis followed, in which

6384-415: The special right to make and enforce legislation in specific sectors, mostly in agriculture. The judicial power is divided into two separate systems of courts. For civil and criminal law the independent Supreme Court is the highest court, while for administrative law the Council of State is the highest court, which is ex officio chaired by the monarch. The present monarchy was founded in 1813. After

6468-525: The spectrum, LPF lost all its seats, while the new anti-immigrant Party for Freedom (PVV) went from nothing to 6% of the seats, becoming the fifth largest party. This polarisation made the formation negotiations very difficult. The talks resulted in the formation of the social-Christian fourth Balkenende cabinet supported by CDA, PvdA, and the Christian Union . This cabinet was oriented at solidarity, durability, and "norms and values". In February 2010,

6552-521: The title of King in the Netherlands, but held the title of duke and count in the several provinces, and was just a Lord of the Netherlands). In 1576 the States General as a whole, however, openly rebelled against the Spanish crown. In 1579 the States General split as a number of southern provinces, united in the Union of Arras returned to obedience, while other provinces, united in the Union of Utrecht continued

6636-498: The trade routes between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies and the NHM continued to extend its network into the 20th century. It lost a number of its branches when the Indonesian government nationalised them in 1960 to form a new locally owned bank, but by then had branches in many other parts of the world. The building at Vijzelstraat 32 in Amsterdam known today as " De Bazel "is named after its architect Karel de Bazel . It

6720-552: Was formed by VVD and PvdA. The second Rutte cabinet was followed by the third Rutte cabinet in October 2017, after the 2017 general election . It consisted of the VVD, CDA, D66 and CU. States General of the Netherlands Opposition (45) Opposition (62) The States General of the Netherlands ( Dutch : Staten-Generaal [ˈstaːtə(ŋ) ɣeːnəˈraːl] ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of

6804-635: Was in 1634, when Philip IV of Spain dissolved them. The States General in both The Hague and Brussels came to an end after 1795; the South was annexed by France, and the North saw the proclamation of the Batavian Republic and the subsequent convocation of the National Assembly (1 March 1796). The name Staten-Generaal was resurrected in the title of subsequent Dutch parliaments in and after 1814, after

6888-456: Was only contact at the top levels, in government. These pillars had their own organisations, most importantly the political parties. There were four pillars, which provided the five most important parties, the socialist Labour Party (PvdA), the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and the two conservative Protestant parties,

6972-472: Was originally built in 1919–1926 for the NHM and it is decorated with many details reminiscent of Indonesia, most notably the brickwork, which earned the building the nickname " spekkoek " It was later repurposed as the Amsterdam Archives . Dutch government The Netherlands is a parliamentary representative democracy . A constitutional monarchy , the country is organised as a decentralised unitary state . The Netherlands can be described as

7056-506: Was the convocation of the States General by the ducal Council for 3 February 1477 after the death of Charles the Bold . In this session the States General forced the grant of the Great Privilege by Mary of Burgundy in which the right of the States General to convene on their own initiative was recognised. The main function of the States General in these early years was to form a platform for

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