Netherlands

The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland; IPA pronunciation: /"ne:d?rlant/) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that is formed by the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.(Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). The Netherlands is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch, located in northwestern Europe. It borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east.

Politics

The Netherlands has been a parliamentary democracy since 1848 and a constitutional monarchy since 1815; before that it had been a republic from 1581 to 1806 (it was occupied by France between 1806 and 1815). The pro forma head of state, since 1980, is Queen Beatrix of the House of Orange-Nassau. The Dutch monarch has no real political power, but serves as a ceremonial figurehead to represent the nation.

Related Topics:
Parliamentary democracy - 1848 - 1815 - Republic - 1581 - 1806 - France - Head of state - 1980 - Queen Beatrix - Orange-Nassau - Figurehead

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Dutch governments always consist of a coalition, as there is not (and has never been) a single political party large enough to get the majority vote. Formally, the queen appoints the members of the government. In practice, once the results of parliamentary elections are known, a coalition government is formed (in a process of negotiations that can take several months), after which the government formed in this way is officially appointed by the queen. The head of the government is the Prime Minister, in Dutch Minister President or Premier, a primus inter pares who is usually also the leader of the largest party in the coalition. The degree of influence the queen has on actual government decision making is a topic of ongoing speculation.

Related Topics:
Coalition government - Prime Minister - Primus inter pares

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The parliament consists of two houses. The 150 members of the Lower House (Tweede Kamer, or Second Chamber) are elected every four years in direct elections. The provincial parliaments are directly elected every 4 years as well. The members of the provincial parliaments vote (indirectly) for the less important Senate (Eerste Kamer, or First Chamber. Together, the First and Second Chamber are known as the Staten Generaal, the States General.

Related Topics:
Direct election - Indirectly - States General

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Political scientists consider The Netherlands a classic example of a consociational state, at least in part caused by the necessity in the Netherlands since the middle ages for different cities to cooperate in order to fight the water (different cities were at the time like different countries by today's standards, and often at war). This necessity to reach an agreement despite differences is called the polder model in Dutch. Also, the Netherlands has long been a nation of traders and for international trade one has to be tolerant of the other person's culture. The Netherlands is a neutral country in most international affairs and thus managed to keep out of WW I (although this did not work in WW II). As a result, the Dutch have a 'friendly' reputation in other countries, to the point that bearers of a Dutch passport often have relatively little difficulty getting into other countries, for visits or even for emigration purposes. However, the early years of the 21st century have seen a political change with the right wing in politics gaining on the left. This is illustrated by the quick rise (and fall) of the LPF, whose leader, Pim Fortuyn was murdered, because he was at the time the best known icon of both xenophobia and political reform in the Netherlands, which is on the rise, partly inspired by Muslim extremism in other countries and the ensuing War on Terrorism. He held former cabinets responsible for the failing integration of immigrants. He was not murdered by a Muslim or immigrant, though. Another murder that received much attention is the murder of Theo van Gogh, who was murdered by a Muslim extremist.

Related Topics:
Consociational state - Polder model - Tolerant - WW I - WW II - LPF - Pim Fortuyn - Xenophobia - War on Terrorism - Theo van Gogh

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The present government is led by the cabinet Balkenende II, one of the most right-wing cabinets the Netherlands has ever had.

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On June 1 2005 the Dutch electorate voted in a referendum against the proposed EU Constitution by a majority of 61.6%, three days after the French had also voted against. It was a consultative referendum, but the government had already decided to honour the outcome. One popular interpretation by the media of the no-vote was that it may not have been so much a vote against the Constitution itself, but that it was more of a protest against lack of rapport between citizens and government, both nationally and in the EU. Another explanation was that the citizens believed that there were too many unnecessary rules coming from the EU such as the obligated privatising of the energy market (fair competition) and the prohibition of making new highways due to air quality laws from the EU. The weeks before the referendum saw lots of political discussions, so the conclusion was not that one should shy away from referenda, but instead have more of them, so people will feel more involved with politics. Referenda are a fairly new phenomenon in the Netherlands.

Related Topics:
June 1 - Referendum - EU Constitution - EU

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See also: Prime Minister of the Netherlands, List of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands

Related Topics:
Prime Minister of the Netherlands - List of Prime Ministers of the Netherlands

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