Politics in the Netherlands
Do you want to know more about the Senate and House of Representatives, or about political elections in the Netherlands? Or do you want to know how laws are made? On this page you will find all information about Dutch politics.
Information
What does the government do and what are the duties of the prime minister?
In the Netherlands, the government makes decisions for the country every day. These decisions are about healthcare and education, about security and climate, and also about asylum and migration. But what exactly does the government do? And what role does the prime minister have in the government?
What are the tasks of the House of Representatives?
On Dutch news sites you often read about the House of Representatives. For example, when there are elections or new laws are made. But what exactly is the House of Representatives? And what are the tasks of the members of parliament? In this article you will get the answers.
What does the Senate do?
The decisions of the Senate have a lot of influence on what happens in the Netherlands. What exactly is the Senate? And why are its decisions so important? In this article you will read why the Senate plays a major role in the governance of the Netherlands.
How is a cabinet made?
In the Netherlands, it often takes months before there is a new cabinet. Why is this process so slow? And what happens in the meantime? In this article, you will read step by step how the formation works and how the roles of verkenner, informateur and formateur work.
How is a law made in the Netherlands?
When you live in the Netherlands, you quickly notice that laws affect your life. For example, about your asylum procedure, family reunification or work. But how are these laws made? And who decides about them? In this article you can read more about how laws are made in the Netherlands.
What do municipalities decide on?
The Netherlands has 342 municipalities. A municipality is the administrative body of a town or village. Municipalities are allowed to make their own decisions on many matters, such as housing, healthcare and employment. In this article, you can read about what municipalities decide and what this means for you as a resident.
What is the Dutch government like and what exactly do the national government, provinces, municipalities and water boards do?
The Dutch government consists of different levels of government with their own tasks. In this article we explain how the government is organised in the Netherlands and what the national government, provinces, municipalities and water boards do.
What are the 2025 House of Representatives elections about?
On 29 October, the House of Representatives elections will be held in the Netherlands. Political parties have different ideas about how the country should be governed. The election programmes contain many topics that are important. Below you will read about 4 topics that recur a lot: housing, asylum and migration, money and income, and the international, political role of the Netherlands.
House of Representatives elections in 2025: what do parties say about migration and asylum?
On 29 October 2025, the Netherlands will go to the polls for elections to the House of Representatives. The political parties participating in the elections have made an election programme. This contains the plans they want to implement if elected. In this article you can read about their positions on certain important topics.
Left and right: How do you understand Dutch politics?
When people talk about politics in the Netherlands, they use words like 'left', 'right', 'progressive' and 'conservative'. These words can be difficult, especially if you are still learning the language. In this article, we explain these words in a simple way.