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Netherlands

Monthly Event Reports

January 2024 | Senate passes law on fair distribution of asylum seekers

On 23 January, the Dutch Senate approved a law on fair distribution of asylum seekers between Dutch municipalities. Over the past decade, only roughly half of Dutch municipalities have provided accommodations for asylum seekers. With 32,000 people currently housed in temporary shelters, the objective of the law is to tackle the lack of accommodation by granting the government authority to override municipalities’ refusal to accept asylum seekers. The Senate approved the law with 43 votes in favour, 27 against, and 5 abstentions. The law could be passed largely due to the support of the conservative-liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVP), the party of former prime minister Mark Rutte, even though Geert Wilders’ right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV), currently trying to form a government, voted against it.

November 2023 | Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders wins elections
Election flag

On 22 November, the country held early general elections to elect the members of the House of Representatives following the collapse of the fourth Rutte cabinet in July, triggered by immigration policy disagreements among the coalition partners. The right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, secured 37 out of the 150-seats, becoming the largest party for the first time. All four parties of the incumbent coalition government experienced losses. With doubled support, PVV wants to focus on issues such as cost-of-living, an exit from the EU (Nexit), closing the borders to all immigration and to the “de-Islamisization” of the country. Voter turnout was 78 per cent, down from 81 per cent in 2017. Similar to the previous legislature, women will constitute 40 per cent of the parliament.

August 2023 | Far-right Dutch Pegida leader desecrates Quran in The Hague

Following the Quran desecrations in Denmark and Sweden, the far-right Dutch Pegida leader, Edwin Wagensveld, tore up a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in The Hague. A counter-protest organised by the DENK political party to condemn Wagensveld’s actions took place simultaneously. Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz declared that she personally thinks the act is ‘primitive and sad,’ but added that it’s a freedom allowed in the country. The minister also cautioned that the act could lead to an increased terror threat, as seen in Sweden. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the Dutch deputy ambassador to condemn the act. Wagensveld has provoked protests in the past as well, when he tore up a copy of the Quran and referred to it as a “fascist book”, a remark for which he has yet to appear in court for hate speech.

July 2023 | Government collapses amid migration row

Mark Rutte, the longest-serving Prime Minister in the Netherlands, resigned on 8 July due to irreconcilable differences in opinion between the coalition parties on migration policy. Of the four parties in the 18-month-old coalition, Rutte’s Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democrats supported a stricter approach compared to D66 and the Christian Union (ChristenUnie). Specific issues debated included whether the rights of family members to join refugees should be restricted. A general election will be held in autumn. Until then, Rutte’s government will act in a caretaker capacity. The fragmented 20-party lower house, along with the rapid rise of the populist Farmer-Citizen Movement party in the March 2023 provincial elections, add another layer of uncertainty to the country’s political future. 

Explore past monthly event reports

GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
17 533 400
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Mark Rutte (since 2010)
Head of government party
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
40.7%
Women in upper chamber
32.0%
Last legislative election
2021
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
9.26
Head of state
King Willem-Alexander
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
15/11/2022
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
46.88%
Population Tooltip
17 533 400
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Mark Rutte (since 2010)
Head of government party
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
40.7%
Women in upper chamber
32.0%
Last legislative election
2021
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
9.26
Head of state
King Willem-Alexander
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
15/11/2022
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
46.88%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Signatory
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
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Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
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Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
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Dec
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Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
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Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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