House of Representatives (Netherlands)

House of Representatives Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal
States General of the Netherlands
Type
Type	Lower House
Leadership
Speaker	Khadija Arib, Labour Party since 13 January 2016
First Deputy Speaker	Ockje Tellegen, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy since 31 October 2017
Structure
Seats	150
Political groups	Government (76)   VVD (33)   CDA (19)   D66 (19)   CU (5) Opposition parties (74)   PVV (20)   GL (14)   SP (14)   PvdA (9)   PvdD (5)   50PLUS (4)   SGP (3)   DENK (3)   FvD (2)
Elections
Voting system	Party-list proportional representation D'Hondt method
Last election	15 March 2017
Next election	17 March 2021
Meeting place
Binnenhof The Hague, Netherlands
Website
House of Representatives Tweede Kamer

The House of Representatives (Dutch: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, pronounced [ˈtʋeːdə ˈkaːmər dɛr ˈstaːtə(n) ˌɣeːnəˈraːl] ; commonly referred to as the Tweede Kamer, literally Second Chamber) is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the States General, the other one being the Senate. It has 150 seats which are filled through elections using a party-list proportional representation. It sits in the Binnenhof in The Hague.

Name

Although this body is called the "House of Representatives" in English, this is not a direct translation of its Dutch name, the "Second Chamber" or more colloquially just the "Chamber". Rather than "representatives" (afgevaardigden), members of the House are referred to as Tweede Kamerlid ("member of the Second Chamber").

Functions

The House of Representatives is the main chamber of the States General, where discussion of proposed legislation and review of the actions of the cabinet takes place. Both the Cabinet and the House of Representatives itself have the right to propose legislation; the House of Representatives discusses it and, if adopted by a majority, sends it on to the Senate. Review of the actions of the cabinet takes the form of formal interrogations, which may result in motions urging the cabinet to take, or refrain from, certain actions. No individual may be a member of both parliament and cabinet, except in a caretaker cabinet that has not yet been succeeded when a new House is sworn in.

The House of Representatives is also responsible for the first round of selection for judges to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. It submits a list of three names for every vacant position to the Government. Furthermore, it elects the Dutch Ombudsman and their subsidiaries.

Elections

The normal term of the House of Representatives is four years. Elections are called when the government loses parliament's confidence, the governing coalition breaks down, the term of the House of Representatives expires or when no governing coalition can be formed.

Parties

Main article: Political parties of the Netherlands

Anybody eligible to vote in the Netherlands also has the right to establish a political party and contest elections for the House of Representatives. Parties wanting to take part must register 43 days before the elections, supplying a nationwide list of at most 50 candidates (80 if the party already has more than 15 seats). Parties that do not have any sitting candidates in the House of Representatives must also pay a deposit (11,250 euro for the November 2006 elections, for all districts together) and provide 30 signatures of support from residents of each of the 20 electoral districts in which they want to collect votes.

Party lists

The candidate lists are placed in the hands of the voters at least 14 days before the election. Each candidate list is numbered, with the person in the first position known as the lijsttrekker ("list puller"). The lijsttrekker is usually appointed by the party to lead its election campaign, and is almost always the party's political leader and candidate for Prime Minister. Parties may choose to compete with different candidate lists in each of the 20 electoral districts, but as seats are allocated on national rather than district level, most parties have almost identical lists in all districts with candidates running nationwide. Only large parties usually have some regional candidates at the bottom of their lists. From 1973 until abolition in June 2017 it was possible for two or more parties to combine their separate lists to increase the chance of winning a remainder seat. This was known as a 'list combination' or Lijstverbinding / lijstencombinatie.

Registration and voting

Citizens of the Netherlands aged 18 or over have the right to vote, with the exception of 1) prisoners serving a term of more than one year and 2) those who have been declared incapable by court because of insanity. Citizens resident in the Netherlands are able to vote if they are registered on a municipal population register (Basisregistratie Personen). Citizens outside the Netherlands can permanently register to vote at the municipality of The Hague, provided they have a current Dutch passport or identity card.

A single vote can be placed on any one candidate. Many voters select one of the lijsttrekkers (Jan Peter Balkenende, for example, received 2,198,114 of the CDA's 2,608,573 votes in the November 2006 elections), but alternatively a preference vote may be made for a candidate lower down the list.

Allocation of seats

Exterior of the House of Representatives

Once the election results are known, the seats are allocated to the parties. The number of valid national votes cast is divided by 150, the number of seats available, to give a threshold for each seat (the kiesdeler); 1/150th is approximately 0.67% of the valid votes. Each party's number of votes is divided by this threshold to give an initial number of seats. Any party that received fewer votes than the threshold fails to gain representation in the House of Representatives. The threshold is one of the lowest for national parliaments in the world, and there are usually multiple parties winning seats with 2% or less of the vote. Any party that did not have seats in the House at the time of the election will have its deposit refunded if it receives more than 75% of the threshold (1/200th of the vote).

After the initial seats are allocated, the remainder seats are allocated using the D'Hondt method of largest averages. This system slightly favours the larger parties.

Once the number of seats allocated to each party is known, in general they are allocated to candidates in the order that they appear on the party's list. (Hence, before the elections, the candidates near the top may be described as in an electable position, depending on the number of seats that the party is likely to obtain.) At this stage, however, the preference votes are also taken into account. Any candidate receiving more than one quarter of the threshold on personal preference votes (the 'preference threshold' or voorkeursdrempel, 0.1675% of the total number of valid votes), is considered elected in their own right, leapfrogging candidates higher on the list. In the November 2006 elections, only one candidate received a seat exclusively through preference votes, while 26 other candidates reaching the preference threshold were already elected based on their position on the list. If a candidate cannot take up the position in parliament (e.g., if they become a minister, decide not to enter parliament, or later resign) then the next candidate on the list takes their place.

Formation of governing coalition

After all seats are allocated, a series of negotiations take place in order to form a government that, usually, commands a majority in the chamber. Since 2012, the House of Representatives appoints a "scout" to ask the major party leaders about prospective coalitions. On the basis of the scout's interviews, the House of Representatives then appoints an informateur, who checks out possible coalitions, and formateur, who leads negotiations (in previous years the informateur and formateur were appointed by the monarch). It typically takes a few months before the formateur is ready to accept a royal invitation to form a government and become prime minister. All cabinet members must resign from parliament, as the constitution does not allow a cabinet member to hold a seat in the House of Representatives.

Due to the nationwide party-list system and the low election threshold, a typical House of Representatives has ten or more factions represented. Such fragmentation makes it nearly impossible for one party to win the 76 seats needed for a majority in the House of Representatives. Indeed, since the current party-list proportional representation system was introduced in 1918, no party has even approached the number of seats necessary for an outright majority. The highest proportion of seats won by a single party since then has been 54 out of 150, obtained by the CDA in 1986 and 1989. Between 1891 and 1897, the Liberal Union was the last party to have an absolute majority of seats in the House of Representatives. All Dutch cabinets since then have been coalitions of two or more parties.

House of Representatives offices

The buildings that house the individual offices of the Members of the House of Representatives and conference rooms for closed-door party meetings are all located on the Binnenhof. The main buildings of the old Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Colonial Affairs are used as accommodations.

• 
  The old Ministry of Justice building
• 
  The old Ministry of Colonial Affairs building
• 
  Grand Hotel Central building
• 
  Binnenhof Building C
• 
  Binnenhof Building 1A

• Old Ministry of Justice building:
  • Christian Democratic Appeal
  • Democrats 66
  • Forum for Democracy

• Old Ministry of Colonial Affairs building:
  • GroenLinks
  • Labour Party
  • Christian Union
  • Party for the Animals

• Grand Hotel Central:
  • Party for Freedom
  • 50PLUS

• Binnenhof Building C:
  • Socialist Party
  • Reformed Political Party
  • Denk

• Binnenhof Building 1A:
  • People's Party for Freedom and Democracy

Composition

Historical compositions

Main article: Historic composition of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands

Representation per party, between 1946 and 2018

Until 1956, there were 100 seats. This was expanded to 150 seats, which is the current number.

To give an overview of the history of the House of Representatives, the figure on the right shows the seat distribution in the House from the first general elections after World War II (1946) to the current situation. The left-wing parties are towards the bottom, the Christian parties in the centre, with the right-wing parties towards the top. Occasionally, single-issue (or narrow-focus) parties have arisen, and these are shown at the extreme top. Vertical lines indicate general elections. Although these are generally held every four years, the resulting coalition governments do not always finish their term without a government crisis, which is often followed by fresh elections. Hence the frequent periods shorter than four years.

Current situation

Main article: List of members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, 2017–present

The Dutch general election of 2017 was held on Wednesday, 15 March 2017, and followed the call for new elections after the Second Rutte cabinet had completed its four-year term. The new Members of the House of Representatives were installed on 23 March 2017. Four parties were required to form a coalition with a simple majority (76 seats). Rutte's VVD, as well as the CDA, D66 and CU parties, later agreed to form a governing coalition with the required one-seat majority after the longest time since an election took place, 209 days, surpassing the previous record of 208 days set after the 1977 general elections.

Parliamentary leaders

Portrait		Name	Party	Service as Parliamentary leader	Service as a Member of the House of Representatives
style="background:Template:People's Party for Freedom and Democracy/meta/color;"|		Dr. Klaas Dijkhoff (born 1981)	VVD	25 October 2017 (6 years, 261 days)	23 March 2017 (7 years, 111 days) 17 June 2010 – 20 March 2015 (4 years, 276 days)
style="background:Template:Party for Freedom/meta/color;"|		Geert Wilders (born 1963)	PVV	30 November 2006 (17 years, 225 days)	26 July 2002 (22 years, 16 days) 25 August 1998 – 23 May 2002 (3 years, 271 days)
style="background:Template:Christian Democratic Appeal/meta/color;"|		Sybrand van Haersma Buma (born 1965)	CDA	14 October 2010 (13 years, 272 days)	23 May 2002 (22 years, 50 days)
style="background:Template:Democrats 66/meta/color;"|		Rob Jetten (born 1987)	D66	9 October 2018 (5 years, 277 days)	23 March 2017 (7 years, 111 days)
style="background:Template:GreenLeft/meta/color;"|		Jesse Klaver (born 1986)	GL	12 May 2015 (9 years, 61 days)	17 June 2010 (14 years, 25 days)
style="background:Template:Socialist Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Lilian Marijnissen (born 1985)	SP	13 December 2017 (6 years, 212 days)	23 March 2017 (7 years, 111 days)
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Dr. Lodewijk Asscher (born 1974)	PvdA	23 March 2017 (7 years, 111 days)	23 March 2017 (7 years, 111 days)
style="background:Template:ChristianUnion/meta/color;"|		Gert-Jan Segers (born 1969)	CU	10 November 2015 (8 years, 245 days)	20 September 2012 (11 years, 296 days)
style="background:Template:Party for the Animals/meta/color;"|		Esther Ouwehand (born 1976)	PvdD	9 October 2018 (5 years, 277 days) 24 January 2012 – 14 May 2012 (111 days)	18 October 2016 (7 years, 268 days) 30 November 2006 – 17 November 2015 (8 years, 352 days)
style="background:Template:50PLUS/meta/color;"|		Henk Krol (born 1950)	50+	10 September 2014 (9 years, 306 days) 20 September 2012 – 4 October 2013 (1 year, 16 days)	10 September 2014 (9 years, 306 days) 20 September 2012 – 4 October 2013 (1 year, 16 days)
style="background:Template:Reformed Political Party/meta/color;"|		Kees van der Staaij (born 1968)	SGP	9 June 2010 (14 years, 33 days)	19 May 1998 (26 years, 54 days)
style="background:Template:Denk (Dutch political party)/meta/color;"|		Tunahan Kuzu (born 1981)	DENK	2 September 2018 (5 years, 314 days) 23 March 2017 – 23 April 2018 (1 year, 31 days)	20 September 2012 (11 years, 296 days)
style="background:Template:Forum for Democracy (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Dr. Thierry Baudet (born 1983)	FvD	23 March 2017 (7 years, 111 days)	23 March 2017 (7 years, 111 days)

Members of the Presidium

Portrait		Name	Position	Party	Service in the Presidium	Service as a member of the House of Representatives
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Khadija Arib (born 1960)	Speaker	PvdA	13 January 2016 (8 years, 181 days)	1 March 2007 (17 years, 133 days) 19 May 1998 – 30 November 2006 (8 years, 195 days)
style="background:Template:People's Party for Freedom and Democracy/meta/color;"|		Ockje Tellegen (born 1974)	First Deputy Speaker	VVD	31 October 2017 (6 years, 255 days)	20 September 2012 (11 years, 296 days)
style="background:Template:Party for Freedom/meta/color;"|	File:MartinBosma2017 (cropped).jpg	Martin Bosma (born 1964)	Second Deputy Speaker	PVV	30 June 2010 (14 years, 104 days)	30 November 2006 (17 years, 225 days)
style="background:Template:Christian Democratic Appeal/meta/color;"|		Dr. Madeleine van Toorenburg (born 1968)	Third Deputy Speaker	CDA	31 October 2017 (6 years, 255 days)	1 March 2007 (17 years, 133 days)
style="background:Template:Democrats 66/meta/color;"|		Vera Bergkamp (born 1971)	Fourth Deputy Speaker	D66	31 October 2017 (6 years, 255 days)	20 September 2012 (11 years, 296 days)
style="background:Template:GroenLinks/meta/color;"|		Tom van der Lee (born 1964)	Fifth Deputy Speaker	GL	14 June 2018 (6 years, 28 days)	23 March 2017 (7 years, 111 days)
style="background:Template:Socialist Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Dr. Ronald van Raak (born 1969)	Sixth Deputy Speaker	SP	23 June 2010 (14 years, 111 days)	30 November 2006 (17 years, 225 days)
style="background:Template:ChristianUnion/meta/color;"|		Joël Voordewind (born 1965)	Seventh Deputy Speaker	CU	20 September 2012 (11 years, 296 days)	30 November 2006 (17 years, 225 days)
style="background:Template:Labour Party (Netherlands)/meta/color;"|		Henk Nijboer (born 1983)	Eighth Deputy Speaker	PvdA	5 June 2018 (6 years, 37 days)	20 September 2012 (11 years, 296 days)

External links

• Template:En icon Official website
• Template:Nl icon Official site
• Template:En icon Virtual tour of the houses of parliament
• Template:Nl icon Seat allocation in the House of Representatives. Click the diagram on the left to see names and photos of all representatives per section.
• Template:Nl icon Official site for archives since 1995