2017 Dutch general election

Dutch general election, 2017

15 March 2017

All 150 seats to the House of Representatives 76 seats needed for a majority

Party Leader Current seats VVD Mark Rutte PvdA Diederik Samsom SP Emile Roemer CDA Sybrand van Haersma Buma PVV Geert Wilders D66 Alexander Pechtold CU Gert-Jan Segers GL Jesse Klaver SGP Kees van der Staaij PvdD Marianne Thieme 50+ Henk Krol independent (politician) n/a Incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte VVD

General elections are planned to be held in the Netherlands on 15 March 2017 to elect all 150 members of the House of Representatives.

Since 2002, every cabinet has resigned before completing their full four-year term and five elections were held between 2002 and 2012. The 2012 elections saw the Labour Party (PvdA) and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) go head-to-head for the position of prime minister, gathering enough seats in the process to form an absolute majority. The VVD's Mark Rutte formed a coalition government with the PvdA, ousting the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) from government, while the Party for Freedom (PVV) went back to full opposition.

Electoral system

The House of Representatives, or Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer) is composed of 150 seats elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency. The office of Prime Minister is traditionally taken up by the leader of the party coming first in the elections, meaning there is an incentive for parties and voters to concentrate their vote.

Opinion polls

Main article: Opinion polling for the Dutch general election, 2017

See also

• 2016 Labour Party leadership election