The Netherlands is a democracy. In a democracy, the population has a say over the government. The Netherlands also has a parliamentary system. The parliament has the final say. All this makes the Netherlands a parliamentary democracy. But what exactly does this mean? The Netherlands is a democracy that has taken its current shape after a long process. The most important characteristics of democracy in the Netherlands are:
- There is a representative body that is elected through free and fair elections
- The Netherlands is a constitutional state based on a Constitution
- There is a parliamentary system, the parliament has the final say on whether the government or a minister may remain in power
- The Netherlands has fundamental rights, which protect the individual against the power of the State
Monarchy
A democracy can be either a republic or a monarchy. The Netherlands is a monarchy. We have a royal family that works through hereditary succession. There is also talk of a constitutional monarchy, which means that the position of the King or Queen is regulated in the Constitution.
Representative democracy
When decisions in a democracy are made directly by citizens, it is called a direct democracy. However, this is not the case in the Netherlands. The decisions are made by bodies elected by the population, such as the House of Representatives and the provincial councils. We therefore call the Netherlands a representative democracy.
Suffrage
An important condition for a democracy is that the citizen has the right to choose. The citizen has the right to vote actively and to vote passively. Active suffrage is the right to elect members to state bodies. Passive suffrage is the right to be chosen yourself. This only applies to Dutch people. Persons who are not Dutch are allowed to participate in elections for the municipal council.
Proportional representation
The Netherlands has had the system of proportional representation since 1917. This means that seats are allocated to a political party in proportion to the number of votes it receives.
Rule of law
The Netherlands is a constitutional state. This means that every action by the government is subject to the rules of law. This right also means that a citizen can turn to the courts if he believes that a government body has behaved unlawfully towards him. The government must therefore adhere to various principles. Thus, every decision must be made carefully by weighing all interests. This is called the principle of due care. The government should also not betray expectations. This is called the principle of trust. Furthermore, the government must adhere to the Constitution.
Parliamentary system
Another feature of Dutch democracy is the parliamentary system. This concerns the relations between the government and parliament. The most important arrangement between them is called the rule of trust. This means that the government must have the support of parliament in order to govern. When trust is damaged, the government may be forced to resign.