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Dutch politics

January 23, 2024

Are parties wasting time negotiating coalition deals?

Matthew E Bergman Recent elections in several countries have produced inconclusive outcomes. This has resulted in extended periods of bargaining between parties to determine the next government. Matthew E Bergman, Hanna Bäck, and Wolfgang C Müller argue that contrary to conventional wisdom, long bargaining periods might actually be a constructive investment in future productivity Read more

December 1, 2023

Landslide victory for Geert Wilders – but can he form a government?

Iris B. Segers The 2023 Dutch general election has given Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom a landslide victory. Iris Beau Segers argues that centre-right parties have contributed to the mainstreaming of Wilders’ far-right views and are now trapped in a dance over the formation of a new government Read more

July 14, 2021

Why right-wing populist parties are more successful in some countries than in others

Léonie De Jonge Right-wing populism is not contagious; it only spreads if mainstream parties and the media diffuse it. This helps explain why right-wing populist parties are more successful in the Netherlands and Flanders than in Luxembourg and Wallonia, writes Léonie de Jonge Read more

June 8, 2021

Votes from expats could have produced a very different outcome in the Dutch general elections

Ekaterina Rashkova Millions of people no longer live in their countries of birth, and this can distort political representation, argues Ekaterina Rashkova-Gerbrands. If expats had been eligible to vote in recent Dutch parliamentary elections, we would have seen more support for innovative parties such as the D66 and Groen Links Read more

March 30, 2021

The Liberal Party once again emerges as the largest party in the Dutch pandemic election

Joop Van Holsteyn Coronavirus dominated the Dutch elections to the virtual exclusion of all else. The outcome, write Joop van Holsteyn and Galen Irwin, is a parliament with a record number of parties. Although the current coalition has sufficient seats to return to power, this may not happen. The Liberal Party again has the biggest share, and it is likely Mark Rutte will return as Minister-President Read more

March 26, 2021

After the 2021 Dutch general election, can Volt become a genuine pan-European force?

Benjamin Leruth A new European party, Volt, debuted in the Tweede Kamer following last week's Dutch elections. The party faces challenges, but it could play a role in domestic political landscapes throughout Europe, writes Benjamin Leruth Read more

January 22, 2021

The Dutch government has been rocked by scandal. Why does its leader remain untainted?

Simon Otjes On 15 January, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was forced to resign after thousands of parents in the Netherlands were wrongly accused of benefit fraud. But the outcry has not diminished faith in Rutte as a leader, writes Simon Otjes Read more

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