Politics of the Netherlands

Politics in the Netherlands

*Politiek in Nederland* (Dutch)
Politics in the Netherlands ; Politiek in Nederland (Dutch)
	Coat of arms of the Netherlands
Polity type	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Constitution	Constitution of the Netherlands
Legislative branch
Name	States General
Type	Bicameral
Meeting place	Inner Court
	Upper house
Name	Senate
Presiding officer	Jan Anthonie Bruijn, President of the Senate
	Lower house
Name	House of Representatives
Presiding officer	Martin Bosma, Speaker of the House of Representatives
Executive branch
	Head of State
Title	King or Queen
Currently	King Willem-Alexander
Appointer	Hereditary
	Head of Government
Title	Prime Minister
Currently	Mark Rutte
Appointer	Monarch
	Cabinet
Name	Cabinet of the Netherlands; Council of Ministers
Current cabinet	fourth Rutte cabinet
Leader	Prime Minister
Deputy leader	Deputy Prime Minister
Appointer	Monarch
Headquarters	Inner Court
Ministries	12
Judicial branch
Name	Judiciary of the Netherlands
	Supreme Court
Chief judge	Maarten Feteris
Seat	The Hague

The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy. A constitutional monarchy, the country is organised as a decentralised unitary state.^[1] The Netherlands can be described as a consociational state.^[2] Dutch politics and governance are characterised by a common striving for broad consensus on important issues, within both of the political community and society as a whole.^[1]

^ ^a ^b Civil service systems in Western Europe edited by A. J. G. M. Bekke, Frits M. Meer, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2000, Chapter 7
^ McGarry, John; O'Leary, Brendan (1993). "Introduction: The 4-political regulation of ethnic conflict". In McGarry, John; O'Leary, Brendan (eds.). The Politics of Ethnic Conflict Regulation: Case Studies of Protracted Ethnic Conflicts. London: Routledge. pp. 1–40. ISBN 0-415-07522-X.