Government and politics

Amsterdam is the capital of The Netherlands, but the seat of government is actually in The Hague (Den Haag). You’ll find the Houses of Parliament and most of the foreign embassies here. In 2008, The Economist ranked The Netherlands as the fourth most democratic country in the world.

Dutch Government

No single political party has held an overall majority since the 19th century, so our government is based upon a three-party coalition – made up of the Christian Democrats, Labour Party and the Christian Union.

The Prime Minister of The Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkenende - appointed by Queen Beatrix in 2007 - is the Head of Government. The Prime Minister runs the executive branch of government called the Crown.

Dutch Parliament consists of two houses - the First (Upper House) and Second (Lower House) Chambers. Like most Western European countries, The Netherlands has a system of proportional representation. This means that even the small minority parties have a presence in Parliament.

The Supreme Court has overall judicial power in The Netherlands. The laws are formed by Parliament, along with the Sovereign and Ministers.

The Royal Family

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, of which Queen Beatrix has been Head of State since 1980. These days, her role is mainly representative and ceremonial.

The Dutch Royal Family live in the Huis van Oranje Nassau (the House of Orange). Prince William of Orange (Willem van Oranje), who led The Netherlands to independence, lived here from 1533-1584. He is an ancestor of the Royal Family.

Prince Willem-Alexander, Queen Beatrix’s eldest son, is heir to the throne. On 2 February 2002, Prince Willem-Alexander married Máxima Zorreguita, daughter of an ex-minister of Argentina.