Early general elections are scheduled to be held in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

on 22 November 2023 to elect the members of the House of Representatives. The election had been expected to be held in 2025, but a snap election was called after the fourth Rutte cabinet collapsed on 7 July 2023 due to disagreements on immigration policy. Incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced that he will not lead his party into the election and that he will be retiring from politics.

Background

The 2021 general election resulted in the formation of the fourth Rutte cabinet, consisting of the

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...

(VVD), Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA),

Democrats 66 Democrats 66 (; abbreviated D66, ) is a Social liberalism, social liberal List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands, which positions itself in the Centrism, centre of the Left–right political spectrum, p ...

(D66) and the Christian Union (CU). Mark Rutte continued in his role as prime minister. The government resigned on 7 July 2023 after the four parties failed to agree on a proposed limitation of family reunification for refugees fleeing armed conflict.

Leadership changes

On 10 July 2023, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced he would not run again as

lead candidate In politics, a lead candidate (; , ) is the leader of a political party in an election to a legislative body. In parliamentary systems, it is often the party's nominee for the position of head of government. In open list electoral systems, it is ...

for the VVD, and leave politics when a new cabinet would be sworn in. Other party leaders and parliamentary leaders also announced they would not return, including Sigrid Kaag (D66), Wopke Hoekstra,

Pieter Heerma Pieter Enneüs Heerma (born 5 August 1977, Amsterdam) is a Dutch politician. As a member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) he has been a member of the House of Representatives since 20 September 2012. Biography From 1999 tot 2001 Heerma ...

(both CDA),

Attje Kuiken Attje Harma Kuiken (; born 27 October 1977) is a Dutch politician and former civil servant serving as the leader of the Labour Party (Netherlands), Labour Party in the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives since 22 Apr ...

(PvdA),

Kees van der Staaij Cornelis Gerrit "Kees" van der Staaij (; born 12 September 1968) is a Dutch politician serving as a member of the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives since 1998 and Leader of the Reformed Political Party (''Staatkundi ...

(SGP),

Farid Azarkan Farid Azarkan (born 16 October 1971) is a Moroccan-born Dutch politician serving as Leader of DENK since 26 September 2020. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 23 March 2017 and parliamentary leader since 21 March 2020. Azar ...

(DENK),

Liane den Haan Natalia Liane den Haan (born 24 August 1967) is a Dutch politician and former nonprofit director, who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2021. She was the managing director of LGBT rights organization COC Nederland from 200 ...

(independent),

Nilüfer Gündoğan Nilüfer Gündoğan (born 6 June 1977) is a Dutch politician, who serves as a member of the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives. She was elected to the House in the 2021 Dutch general election, 2021 general election ...

(independent), and

Sylvana Simons Silvana Hildegard "Sylvana" Simons (born 31 January 1971) is a Surinamese-born Dutch politician and former television presenter. She has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2021 on behalf of BIJ1, an egalitarian anti-racist part ...

(BIJ1). Jesse Klaver announced that, although he wanted to continue as member of parliament, he would not be candidate for leader of the Labour Party–GroenLinks alliance. Additionally,

Vera Bergkamp Vera Alida Bergkamp (; born 1 June 1971) is a Dutch politician. A member of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, she has been a member of the House of Representatives since 20 September 2012. On 7 April 2021, she was elected Speaker of the House of ...

, the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, will not stand for reelection.

Electoral system

Pursuant to articles C.1, C.2 and C.3 of the electoral law, elections for the House of Representatives take place every four years in March, unless a snap election is called. The 150 members of the House of Representatives are elected by open list

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

. The number of seats per list is determined using the

D'Hondt method The D'Hondt method, also called the Jefferson method or the greatest divisors method, is a method for allocating seats in parliaments among federal states, or in party-list proportional representation systems. It belongs to the class of highest- ...

. A list must receive a number of votes equal to or exceeding the

Hare quota The Hare quota (also known as the simple quota) is a formula used under some forms of proportional representation. In these voting systems the quota is the number of votes that guarantees a candidate, or a party in some cases, captures a seat. Th ...

(1 full seat) in order to qualify for seat distribution, meaning there is an

electoral threshold The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of the primary vote that a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can ...

of 0.67%. Voters have the option to cast a preferential vote. The seats won by a list are first allocated to the candidates who, in preferential votes, have received at least 25% of the Hare quota (effectively 1/4 of a seat or 0.17% of the total votes), regardless of their placement on the electoral list. If multiple candidates from a list pass this threshold, their ordering is determined based on the number of votes received. Any remaining seats are allocated to candidates according to their position on the electoral list.

Political parties and lead candidates

The following parties have announced their intent to participate in the election:

Campaign

Debates

Opinion polls

Notes

References

{{Dutch elections

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Elections in Bonaire Elections in Saba (island) Elections in Sint Eustatius General elections in the Netherlands