Misplaced Pages

#460539

70-724: The Singapore Alliance Party , or simply the Singapore Alliance, was a political coalition formed on 2 June 1961 that contested several elections in Singapore , notably the 1955 Elections of Singapore and the 1963 Elections of Singapore . It consisted of the local branch of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the Malay Union , the local chapters of the Malayan Chinese Association and

140-737: 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

210-577: 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 a traditional separation of powers ; according to

280-467: 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

350-454: 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

420-533: A region's group of countries') parliament(s), and, in a broader scope, to foster the bilateral relations between said countries. Parliamentary friendship groups play an important role in New Zealand's engagement in inter-parliamentary relations, with group members often called upon to participate and host meetings for visiting delegations from the other part, as well as often being invited by the other country's parliament to visit it. Friendship Groups do not speak for

490-574: 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,

560-486: Is also ex officio chair of the Council of State , which advises the cabinet on every piece of legislation and 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

630-488: 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 Netherlands has been a monarchy since 1813, but has been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau (by chosen and later hereditary stadtholders ) since 1556, when William

700-507: Is to support the leadership by enforcing party discipline . In Armenia , political parties often form parliamentary groups before running in elections. Prior to the 2021 Armenian parliamentary elections , four different parliamentary groups were formed. A parliamentary group must pass the 7% electoral threshold in order to gain representation in the National Assembly . Higher electoral thresholds for parliamentary groups discourages

770-407: Is typically led by a parliamentary group leader or chairperson , though some parliamentary groups have two or more co-leaders . If the parliamentary group is represented in the legislature, the leader is almost always chosen from among the sitting members; if the leader does not yet have a seat in the legislature, a sitting member of the group may be expected to resign to make way for him or her. If

SECTION 10

#1732852249461

840-531: 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

910-516: 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

980-585: 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

1050-581: 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

1120-547: The Council of Ministers . This executive council meets every Friday in the Trêveszaal at 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,

1190-675: The Malayan Indian Congress , and former Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock 's Singapore People's Alliance (SPA). This alliance was formalised on 24 June 1963 as the Singaporean component of the ruling Alliance Party in Malaya . Its campaign policy during the 1963 elections was similar to what the UMNO used in federal elections in Malaysia, and alleged the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) mistreated

1260-639: The Malays , one of the major races in Singapore. While the Singapore Alliance also supported merger within the Federation of Malaysia and was anti-Communist , it sought to extend the same model of communal politics on the mainland to Singapore. Unlike the then- left-leaning and socialist PAP, it was identified with the political right. Throughout its history, the Singapore Alliance has only held seven seats with

1330-496: The Netherlands ( fractie ); Poland ( klub ), Switzerland ( fraction / Fraktion / frazione ); Romania ( grup parlamentar ); and Russia ( фракция/fraktsiya ), Spain ('grupo parlamentario'), and Ukraine ( фракція/fraktsiya ). Generally, parliamentary groups have some independence from the wider party organisations. It is often thought improper for elected MPs to take instructions solely from non-elected party officials or from

1400-486: The Parliamentary Friendship Groups , also called Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Groups , Friendship Parliamentary Groups , or Parliamentary Group of Friendship [and Cooperation] . "Parliamentary Friendship" groups are groups of congresspeople/members of parliament who voluntarily organise themselves to promote parliamentary relations between their own Parliament and another country's (or even

1470-593: 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 the judicial system. There are three other High Colleges of State, which stand on an equal footing with parliament but have

SECTION 20

#1732852249461

1540-504: The United Kingdom Parliament there exist associations of MPs called "all-party parliamentary groups", which bring together members of different parliamentary groups who wish to involve themselves with a particular subject. This term is in a sense the opposite of the term 'parliamentary group', which designates a group that includes only members of the same party or electoral fusion. One special kind of parliamentary groups are

1610-656: The United States Congress and the Parliament of Canada . A parliamentary group is sometimes called the parliamentary wing of a party, as distinct from its organizational wing . Equivalent terms are used in different countries, including: Argentina ( bloque and interbloque ), Australia (party room); Austria ( Klub ); Belgium ( fractie / fraction / Fraktion ); Brazil and Portugal ("grupo parlamentar" or, informally, "bancadas"); Germany ( Fraktion ); Italy ( gruppo ), Finland (eduskuntaryhmä/ riksdagsgrupp );

1680-399: 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

1750-409: The informateur , who chairs the formation talks, after consulting the parliamentary leaders of all parties represented in 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

1820-657: 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

1890-548: 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

1960-478: 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

2030-447: 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

2100-561: 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 the special right to make and enforce legislation in specific sectors, mostly in agriculture. The judicial power

2170-579: 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

Singapore Alliance Party - Misplaced Pages Continue

2240-529: 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 a constitutional court and judges do not have the authority to review laws on their constitutionality. International treaties and

2310-493: The Government of their own country, or even for the whole of the Parliament/Congress to which they belong, as they are usually self-regulating and self-fulfilling. Parliamentary Friendship Groups are active in the national congresses/parliaments of countries such as Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Israel, Laos, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, South Korea, Switzerland, and

2380-422: 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,

2450-560: 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

2520-611: 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

2590-543: 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,

2660-841: The SPA holding four seats and the Singapore United Malay National Organization occupying three seats in Malay-dominated areas like Geylang Serai , Kampong Kembangan , and the Southern Islands . During the 1963 general election, the Alliance performed poorly and lost all its seats. Its participation in the 1963 election further heightened tensions between UMNO and the PAP as they had earlier agreed neither side would participate in each other's elections until Malaysia, which Singapore

2730-555: The Silent was appointed stadtholder and led the successful Dutch Revolt against Spain. The present monarchy was founded in 1813. After 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

2800-528: 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 the Constitution must be approved by both Houses of

2870-558: The United States, among many others. Politics of the Netherlands 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 a consociational state . Dutch politics and governance are characterised by a common striving for broad consensus on important issues, within both of

Singapore Alliance Party - Misplaced Pages Continue

2940-552: 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

3010-454: 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

3080-509: 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

3150-500: 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

3220-403: 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

3290-720: 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

3360-483: The exception of Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura , which subsequently joined the Singapore Democratic Alliance . Political coalition Parliamentary groups may elect a parliamentary leader ; such leaders are often important political players. Parliamentary groups in some cases use party discipline to control the votes of their members. Parliamentary groups correspond to " caucuses " in

3430-486: 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

3500-544: The formation of parliamentary groups like Centre-right coalition and Centre-left coalition . In the Swiss Federal Assembly , at least five members are required to form a parliamentary group. The most important task is to delegate members to the commissions. The parliamentary groups are decisive in Swiss Federal Assembly and not the political parties, which are not mentioned in the parliamentary law. In

3570-532: The formation of parliamentary groups running in elections. The parliamentary groups of the European Parliament must consist of no less than 25 MEPs from seven different EU member states . No party discipline is required. Parliamentary groups gain financial support and can join committees. Hungarian mixed-member majoritarian representation rewards the formation of parliamentary groups, like United for Hungary . Italian parallel voting system rewards

SECTION 50

#1732852249461

3640-499: 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

3710-401: 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

3780-434: 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 ,

3850-435: 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

3920-424: The parliamentary and organisational leadership will be held by the same person or people, whether ex officio or not; other parties maintain a sharp distinction between the two offices. Nevertheless, in almost all cases, the parliamentary leader is the public face of the party, and wields considerable influence within the organisational wing, whether or not they hold any official position there. A parliamentary group

3990-574: 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,

4060-415: The party is not represented in the legislature for the time being, the leader will often be put forward at a general election as the party's candidate for their most winnable seat. In some parties, the leader is elected solely by the members of the parliamentary group; in others, some or all members of the wider party participate in the election. Parliamentary groups often have one or more whips , whose role

4130-477: 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

4200-548: 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

4270-460: 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 the Netherlands, one of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The Netherlands comprises all of

SECTION 60

#1732852249461

4340-448: 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

4410-445: 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

4480-449: The small subset of the electorate represented by party members. In any case, the exigencies of government, the need to cooperate with other members of the legislature and the desire to retain the support of the electorate as a whole often preclude strict adherence to the wider party's wishes. The exact relationship between the parliamentary party and the party varies between countries, and also from party to party. For example, in some parties,

4550-576: 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

4620-525: 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,

4690-563: Was given the present-day Netherlands and Belgium to govern as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands . Between 1815 and 1890, the King of 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

4760-433: Was not known. Upon the conclusion of formation talks, the monarch appoints the cabinet. Upon the fall of a government, 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

4830-399: 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,

4900-399: Was then an autonomous state of, was more mature. After the 1963 elections, the Singapore Alliance was left in the political wilderness. While the coalition was briefly reformed and re-registered as the "Alliance Party Singapura" in 1966, it did contest any future elections in Singapore and gradually faded from the political scene. Most of its component parties eventually ceased to operate with

#460539