In the Netherlands, the government consists of the King and the ministers. The ministers and the state secretaries form the cabinet.
The government consists of the King and the ministers. The cabinet consists of all ministers and state secretaries. Ministers are responsible for policies and decisions. State secretaries help ministers in their work. You can find these rules in the Constitution.
The King (or Queen) of the Netherlands is the head of state. The head of state has little power or authority. Ministers are responsible for decisions. The Constitution regulates this.
A minister leads a ministry, such as the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The minister makes decisions and ensures that policies are implemented. A state secretary helps the minister with certain tasks.
The Netherlands has a parliament. The Dutch parliament consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate:
The Netherlands is a parliamentary democracy. There are elections for the House of Representatives, Senate, Provincial Councils, water boards, municipal councils and the European Parliament. Most elections are held every four years. European elections are held every five years.
There are many political parties in the Netherlands. They participate in elections. The parties want to get seats in the House of Representatives or on a municipal council. This allows them to influence policies.
Dutch parties have different policies that cover the full political spectrum, from left to right. Parties have different ideas on issues such as the economy, environment, education, healthcare, immigration, defence, housing and social affairs.
The King and ministers together form the government. The cabinet consists of all ministers and state secretaries. Together, they make plans and implement policies. Ministers lead ministries. The prime minister leads the cabinet.
It depends on the election and your situation. To vote in elections for the House of Representatives, you must be a Dutch citizen and 18 years or older. In the case of elections for the European Parliament, you can vote if you are a Dutch citizen or an EU citizen living in the Netherlands (you must have registered first). When it comes to municipal council elections, non-Dutch nationals can also vote if they satisfy certain conditions.
The House of Representatives has 150 members, who are directly elected by the people of the Netherlands. They make laws and control the government. The Senate has 75 members. They review laws passed by the House of Representatives. They check whether the new laws are in keeping with the Constitution of the Netherlands.
This website uses cookies. Read more about cookies in our cookieverklaring.
These cookies never collect personal data and are necessary for the correct functioning of the website.
These cookies collect data so that we gain insight into the use and can further improve this website.
Deze cookies worden gebruikt om statistieken te meten over het gebruik van de website (bijvoorbeeld via Google Analytics, Siteimprove of Matomo) en voor externe videodiensten zoals YouTube of Vimeo. Hiervoor maken wij gebruik van diensten van derde partijen. Deze cookies worden alleen geplaatst na jouw toestemming.
Jouw keuze aanpassen? Dat kan op elk moment via de cookie-instellingen in de footer.