this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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theNetherlands
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I'm obviously not Dutch, but can an English speaker around here break down to me in simple terms what this means for majorities looking forward? Not familiar with the inner workings of parliament in the Netherlands.
A populist economic liberal, social conservative party (PVV, "Freedom party") with an anti-immigration focus (unexpectedly) seems to become the biggest party.
Since the way voting works in combination to various political philosophies or political focuses tend to lead to different parties forming coalitions in order to try and get majority support in Parliament (76 out of 150 seats in the "Tweede Kamer", Second Chamber). (The Senate consists of 75 seats and is indirectly voted on through Provincial elections.)
Traditionally the biggest party from an election will start the negotiations with other parties to form a government. It's quite likely this involves the former majority party (VVD ("Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy") where the PVV is a spin-off from) and other right of center parties. I'm not sure if they'll invite the populist nationalist party, but this outcome is either way dramatic for important subjects like environmental protection and climate change.
Also, if they don't manage to successfully negotiate, then a likely next step will be for the second-largest party to get a shot at negotiating, trying to form its own majority together with other parties.
If negotiations keep failing, other options are a minority government, or new elections. But usually, enough parties (i.e. with a combined total of >75 seats) find a way to work together.