The Netherlands

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Netherlands Motto: Je Maintiendrai (Dutch: Ik zal handhaven, English: I Shall Uphold) Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe Capital Amsterdam1 Largest city Amsterdam Official language(s) Dutch2 Government Parliamentary democracy Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Beatrix  - Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende Independence Eighty Years War   - Declared July 26, 1581   - Recognised January 30, 1648 (by Spain... Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_the_Netherlands. ... The Politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy. ...

Kingdom of the Netherlands Constitution Monarchy Queen Beatrix Cabinet Present cabinet Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende Ministry of General Affairs Coalition: CDA, VVD Parliament First Chamber Second Chamber Political parties Politicians Elections: 2006 Council of State Supreme Court Provinces EU Politics Drugs policy Foreign relations Terminology

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The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands formed on May 27, 2003. It consisted of three political parties: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), and Democrats 66 (D66), which is the smallest of the three. On June 29, 2006, D66 dropped its support for the coalition. The next day, Prime Minister Balkenende offered the resignation of the cabinet to Queen Beatrix.^[1] Based on advice from the parliament, the Queen suggested a CDA-VVD minority cabinet should be formed. The Third Balkenende cabinet was installed on July 7, 2006. The Netherlands have been an independent monarchy since March 16, 1815, and have been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since. ... Queen Beatrix (I) of the Netherlands (born as Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses van Lippe-Biesterfeld) (born January 31, 1938), has been the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since April 30, 1980. ... The cabinet of the Netherlands or council of ministers plans and implements government policy. ... The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende has been in office in the Netherlands from May 27, 2003. ... The prime minister of the Netherlands is the head of the cabinet, and, as such, coordinates the policy of the government. ... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956) has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is also the political head of the Ministry of General Affairs (Ministerie van Algemene Zaken). With only about 400 employees this ministry is by far the smallest ministry in the Netherlands. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch christian-democratic political party. ... The Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) (Dutch: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) is a Dutch liberal political party. ... The Estates-General (Staten-Generaal) is the parliament of the Netherlands. ... The Eerste Kamer (literally First Chamber in Dutch) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament, the States-General. ... The Tweede Kamer (second chamber) is the lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ... This article lists political parties in the Netherlands. ... Elections in the Netherlands gives information on election and election results in the Netherlands. ... The Dutch general election of 22 November 2006, necessary after the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet, has seen a victory for the Christian-democratic CDA with 41 seats, a loss of 3 seats, while the biggest increase of seats in the Parliament, up 17 to 26, was for the... In the Netherlands, the Council of State is a constitutionally established advisory body to the government which consists of members of the royal family and Crown-appointed members generally having political, commercial, diplomatic, or military experience. ... Hoge Raad der Nederlanden is the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, situated in The Hague. ... The modern day Netherlands are divided into twelve provinces (provincies in Dutch), listed below with their capital city: Map of the Netherlands, with provinces and capital cities See also the ranked list of Dutch provinces // Structure A Dutch province represents the administrative layer in between the national government and the... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The drug policy of the Netherlands is based on 2 principles: Drug use is a public health issue, not a criminal matter A distinction between hard drugs and soft drugs exists It is a pragmatic policy. ... The Netherlands abandoned its traditional policy of neutrality after World War II. The Dutch have since become engaged participants in international affairs. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Alternate meanings in cabinet (disambiguation) A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956) has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... May 27 is the 147th day (148th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 218 days remaining. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) (Dutch: Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) is a Dutch liberal political party. ... The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (Dutch: Christen Democratisch Appèl) is a Dutch christian-democratic political party. ... Democrats 66 (in Dutch: Democraten 66, D66, official name: Politieke Partij Democraten 66) is a Dutch progressive-liberal and radical-democratic political party. ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Queen Beatrix (I) of the Netherlands (born as Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses der Nederlanden, Prinses van Oranje-Nassau, Prinses van Lippe-Biesterfeld) (born January 31, 1938), has been the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since April 30, 1980. ... For minority régime, see Apartheid. ... The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende has been in office in the Netherlands from May 27, 2003. ...

Formation

On January 24, 2003, Queen Beatrix asked Piet Hein Donner (minister of Justice for the CDA in the previous cabinet) to lead the coalition negotiations. The negotiations for the coalition were lengthy. Initially the CDA preferred to continue its right-wing coalition with the VVD, but they didn't have sufficient seats in the Tweede Kamer without the support of a third party. Another coalition with Lijst Pim Fortuyn would be likely to be unpopular with voters, after the events of the first Balkenende cabinet, and D66 was unwilling to join a coalition. A government supported by the orthodox christian SGP and CU was opposed by the VVD. A long negotiation between CDA and PvdA followed. The PvdA and CDA had come out of the elections as equal partners. The negotiations were troubled by the War in Iraq, the bad economic forecasts and personal animosity between the leader of the CDA Balkenende and leader of the PvdA Wouter Bos. After a couple of months talks were called off by Balkenende. At this point, D66 decided to join the coalition after all. The cabinet is based on a very slim majority in parliament of 78 seats out of 150. When VVD MP Geert Wilders left his party on September 2, 2004 (continuing as a one man party), the narrow majority of the second Balkenende cabinet slimmed down even further to 77 seats in the Tweede Kamer. January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan Piet Hein Donner (born 20 October 1948 in Amsterdam) is the current Dutch Minister of Justice in the second Balkenende cabinet as member of the Dutch Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... The Tweede Kamer (second chamber) is the lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ... Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn) is a political party in the Netherlands. ... The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from July 22, 2002 until October 16 of the same year. ... The Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij (SGP, literally Politically Reformed Party) is a Dutch political party following the conservative Christian principles, in the tradition of the Dutch Reformed Church. ... The ChristenUnie (Christians Union) is a relatively young political party in the Netherlands. ... For the Belgian political party of the same name, see Partij van de Arbeid (Belgium). ... This article regards the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Drs. ... The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ... Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (born in Venlo on 6 September, 1963) is a Dutch right wing conservative politician who is best known for his views favoring the restriction of immigration, particularly from non-western countries, and his opposition to Turkey joining the European Union. ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Tweede Kamer (second chamber) is the lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ...

Policy

The cabinet program is based around the slogan: "Mee doen, Meer Werk, Minder Regels" (Participation, More Employment, and Fewer Regulations). The cabinet seeks to address the problems of integration of ethnic minorities (participation), the economic recession (more employment) and the lack of trust in government (Fewer Regulations).

Migration & Integration Policy

The most controversial issue the cabinet addressed is the perceived lack of integration of ethnic minorities, especially immigrants from Morocco and Turkey. To solve this problem this cabinet has tried to reduce the influx of migrants, and to force migrants to take an integration course. The cabinet appointed a minister especially for this issue: Rita Verdonk. She is one of the most controversial ministers of the cabinet. Rita Verdonk Drs. ...

The number of immigrants allowed into the Netherlands was reduced by enforcing the asylum seekers law of 2000 rigidly. This law was created under the second cabinet of Wim Kok by the current mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen. Controversially, 26,000 asylum seekers who had lived in the Netherlands for over 5 years, but who were not granted asylum were deported. Furthermore, partners of Dutch citizens are only allowed to immigrate into the Netherlands if the Dutch partner earns more than 130% of the minimum income. The second cabinet of the Netherlands to be headed by Prime Minister Wim Kok. ... Marius Job Cohen (born 18 October 1947) is the current mayor of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. ...

Every person who wants to immigrate into the Netherlands must pass an integration test. It tests the applicant's knowledge of the Dutch language, political system and social conventions. The test must be taken before entering the Netherlands, preferably in a Dutch Embassy in the country of origin. "Oudkomers", migrants who have lived in the Netherlands for a long time, but have not integrated into Dutch society, were requested by the Dutch Government to take the exam as well. Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium. ... The Politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy. ...

Economic Reform

The cabinet took power at a time when the Netherlands' economy was in poor shape, with increasing unemployment and slight economic contraction. In order to jump start economic growth, the cabinet has proposed tax cuts and reform of the system of social welfare.

The cabinet has implemented a new law for disability pensions. Most people enjoyed disability pensions under the old disability law received pensions even if they were only partially disabled and could still work. The pensions of these people have been cut, and so they are forced to return to the workforce. Furthermore the cabinet has limited the possibility of early retirement. Without exception all Dutch employees will be forced to work until they have become 65, possibly longer. Disability pension is a form of pension given to those people who are permanently or temporarily unable to work due to a disability. ... Retirement is the status of a worker who has stopped working. ...

The cabinet also has cut government spending by 5700 million euro, making a total of 11 billion euro, when combined with the cuts announced by the previous cabinet. Among other measures, free dental care, physiotherapy and anti-conception medication were cut, 12000 positions were to be eliminated in the armed forces and some of their bases closed, the link between benefit payment rates and salaries was to be broken, and the rental housing subsidy was reduced. At the same time, 4 billion euro in extra spending was made available, mainly in education and justice.

Institutional Reform

Another controversial issue is the reform of the Dutch political system. This was proposed in order to overcome the 'gap between politics and citizens', which became clear in the 2002 elections, which were dominated by the right-wing populist Pim Fortuyn. The cabinet also appointed a special minister for this, issue: Thom de Graaf, who proposed an ambitious reform proposal, but met much resistance. Two of the most important proposals were the directly elected mayor and the election system. Elections in the Netherlands for the Tweede Kamer of Parliament // Introduction The Dutch general election of 2002, held on May 15, 2002 was the most dramatic in Dutch history, not just in terms of the electoral results. ... Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn (surname pronounced somewhat like for-TOYN, IPA: ), (February 19, 1948 – May 6, 2002), was a controversial, openly gay, charismatic politician in the Netherlands who formed his own party Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn or LPF). ...

The Netherlands is one of the last countries in Europe not to have an elected mayor, instead he is appointed by the Crown. In order to change this the constitution has to be amended. A proposal to do this by Minister De Vries in 2001, under the Cabinet Kok-II, was rejected in second reading by the higher house. This was because it would allow the controversial plans of De Graaf to be implemented. This would involve a mayor, directly elected by the city's population, who would have considerable power to take care of security and public order. now. ... The Netherlands have been an independent monarchy since March 16, 1815, and have been governed by members of the House of Orange-Nassau since. ... Klaas George de Vries (April 28, 1943 in Hoensbroek) is a member of the lower house of the Dutch parliament for the PvdA. De Vries has an impressive political career: he has been a member of parliament for more than 15 years, he has been a minister, and has been... The Eerste Kamer (literally First Chamber in Dutch) is the Upper House or Senate of the Netherlands parliament, the States-General. ...

The proposed election system would mirror the election system of Germany: proportionality would be preserved, but they would be supplemented by regional candidates.

Both proposals were withdrawn after the Easter Crisis (see below at mutations). The current minister of Institutional Reform, Pechtold, will institute two councils, one composed of specialists and one of citizens, who would propose a new election system.

Opposition to Policy

The cabinet is facing opposition, both from the official opposition in parliament, an extra-parliamentary movement, from international circles and from within.

The left-wing parties in parliament are critical of this government. They perceive the policy on migration and integration as too hard and causing polarization between Dutch people and immigrants, and the economic reforms and budget cuts as untimely, because of the recession.

The extra-parliamentary movement "Keer het Tij" (Turn the Tide) has organized mass demonstrations against the government. Important partners within Keer het Tij are the three main left-wing political parties, PvdA, SP and GroenLinks), the largest trade union, the FNV, environmental organisations like Greenpeace and Milieu Defensie, and organisations of migrants. In 2004 they orgainized a political demonstration in the Hague. At the time the negotiations between the cabinet, the employers and the unions on early retirement had broken off, with the union leaders promissing a "hot autumn". The Socialist Party (Dutch: Socialistische Partij) is a socialist party in the Netherlands. ... This article is about the Dutch political party. ... FNV could stand for: Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, Netherlands, (Federated Netherlands Labour Movement) Förbundet Nordisk Vuxenupplysning, Sweden, (Nordic Association of Adult Education) Foreningen Naturparkens Venner, Denmark Fowler Noll Vo hash This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Greenpeace is an international environmental organization founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1971. ...

Most international criticism comes from Belgium. Two ministers, the liberal minister of Foreign Affairs De Gucht and the socialist vice-prime minister Van den Bossche of the purple Cabinet Verhofstad, have criticized the style of Dutch cabinet, calling the prime minister Balkenende "Petty Bourgeois".^[2] VLD may refer to: Ventilated Linear Dynamic Flemish Liberals and Democrats Category: ... Karel De Gucht (27 January 1954, Overmere) is a former chairman of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD), a Belgian political party. ... Socialist Party - Different or Social Progressive Alternative (Dutch: Socialistische Partij - Anders or Sociaal Progressief Alternatief (sp. ... Freya Van den Bossche (born March 26, 1975 in Ghent, Belgium) is a Belgian, Flemish politician. ...

Criticism also rose out of the ranks of the largest government partner, the CDA. The former Christian-Democratic Prime Minister Dries van Agt and former leader of the parliamentary party, De Vries, criticized the cabinet for its anti-social policy. Minister Pechtold has opposed cabinet policy on terrorism and drug law in the media, breaking the unity of cabinet. Prime Minister of the Netherlands Andreas Antonius Maria Dries van Agt (born February 2, 1931) is a Dutch politician, the prime minister of the Netherlands from 1977 until 1982, as a member of the Christian Democratic CDA party. ...

Composition

The cabinet consists of 16 ministers and 10 state secretaries (junior ministers). These positions are divided among the coalition members according to their size in parliament: The CDA supplies 8 ministers and 5 junior ministers, the VVD supplies 6 ministers and 4 junior ministers and finally D66 supplies 2 ministers and 1 junior minister. 18 of these were also in the first Balkenende cabinet: they are marked with an * in the list below. A minister or a secretary is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. ...

Ministers

The prime minister of the Netherlands is the head of the cabinet, and, as such, coordinates the policy of the government. ... The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is also the political head of the Ministry of General Affairs (Ministerie van Algemene Zaken). With only about 400 employees this ministry is by far the smallest ministry in the Netherlands. ... Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende   (born on 7 May 1956) has served as Prime Minister of The Netherlands since 22 July 2002. ... The finance minister is a cabinet position in a government. ... Gerrit Zalm (born May 6, 1952) is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Netherlands. ... Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst (born March 18, 1937) is a Dutch politician. ... Gerrit Zalm (born May 6, 1952) is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Netherlands. ... The Interior Minister is a member of a Cabinet in a Government. ... Johannes Wijnandus (Johan) Remkes (born in Oosterbroek (Groningen) on 15 June 1951) became a member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch parlement in 1993, for the right-wing liberal party VVD. From 1998 to 2002 he was a State Secretary in the Second cabinet of Wim Kok. ... A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the governmental foreign policy of a sovereign nation. ... Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (right) and Jan Peter Balkenende Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (left) and Colin Powell Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (legally Jakob Gijsbert de Hoop Scheffer) (born April 3, 1948) is a Dutch politician who is the 11th NATO Secretary General. ... Dr. Bernard Bot, born November 21, 1937 is the current Minister of Foreign affairs of The Netherlands. ... A justice minister is a ministerial position in the governments of some countries, with general responsibility for policing and the maintenance of public order. ... Jan Piet Hein Donner (born 20 October 1948 in Amsterdam) is the current Dutch Minister of Justice in the second Balkenende cabinet as member of the Dutch Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). ... The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands is housed in the Hoftoren, the tallest building of The Hague. ... Maria van der Hoeven (born September 13, 1949 in Meerssen) is a Dutch politician and the current Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. ... Hans Hoogervorst (19 April 1956) is the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports of the Netherlands since May 2003. ... Department of Defence redirects here. ... Kamp with Donald Rumsfeld Henricus Gregorius Jozeph (Henk) Kamp (born in Hengelo, July 23, 1952) is a Dutch politician who is the current Minister of Defense in the Second Balkenende cabinet for the right-wing liberal party VVD. External links Official site Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Henk Kamp... The Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (Dutch: Volkshuisvesting, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieu; VROM) is a Dutch ministry. ... Alexander Pechtold (born December 16, 1965) was elected president of the Dutch social liberal party Democrats 66 in 2002. ... Cees Veerman (full name: Cornelis Pieter Veerman). ... Aart Jan de Geus (born July 28, 1955 in Doorn) is a Dutch politician and the current Minister of Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands. ... Rita Verdonk Drs. ...

Junior Ministers

Atzo Nicolaï (born 22 February 1960 in Delft) is a Dutch politician and the current Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations in the third Balkenende cabinet. ... The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands is housed in the Hoftoren, the tallest building of The Hague. ... Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (born The Hague, February 14, 1967) is a Dutch Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) politician and State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the second Balkenende cabinet. ... Maria van der Hoeven (born September 13, 1949 in Meerssen) is a Dutch politician and the current Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. ... Maria van der Hoeven (born September 13, 1949 in Meerssen) is a Dutch politician and the current Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. ... Joannes Gerardus (Joop) Wijn (born 20 May 1969 in Haarlem) is minister of Economic Affairs in the third Balkenende cabinet of The Netherlands. ... The Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (Dutch: Volkshuisvesting, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieu; VROM) is a Dutch ministry. ... Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (born The Hague, February 14, 1967) is a Dutch Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) politician and State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the second Balkenende cabinet. ...

Key events

In December 2003 Minister of Foreign Affairs De Hoop Scheffer was appointed secretary-general of the NATO. He was succeeded by former diplomat Ben Bot. NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ...

In June 2004 a personal conflict between Junior Minister for Higher Education Nijs and Minister of Education Van der Hoeven caused the departure of Nijs. This in turn caused a reshuffle: Junior Minister for Social Affairs Rutte became Junior Minister of Higher Education and Henk van Hoof (junior minister in previous cabinets) became Junior Minister of Social Affairs.

In March 2004 Minister of Institutional Reform and Kingdom Affairs De Graaf resigned after the rejection of the constitutional amendment that would allow for elected mayors. A government crisis erupted when all the three D66 ministers consided resigning. The plans for institutional reform were watered down in exchange for more money for education in the so-called Easter Accord (because it was signed on the day before Easter) and D66 continued to support the cabinet. De Graaf was succeeded by the mayor of Wageningen Pechtold. The position of Deputy Prime Minister was taken up by Minister of Economic Affairs Brinkhorst. Easter, also known as Pascha (Greek Πάσχα: Passover), the Feast of the Resurrection, the Sunday of the Resurrection, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed between late March and late April (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity). ... Wageningen is a municipality and a historical town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. ...

In February 2006 another crisis loomed when the D66 parliamentary fraction lead by Boris Dittrich refused to agree with a military ISAF mission in Uruzgan. When opposition party PVDA decided to change their vote and support the mission ^[3] D66 backed down and Dittrich resigned as parliamentary leader. Boris Ottokar Dittrich (Utrecht, July 21, 1955) is a politician in the Netherlands. ... one of many ISAFs military bases in Afghanistan. ... Oruzgan (or Uruzgan) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. ... For the Belgian political party of the same name, see Partij van de Arbeid (Belgium). ...

Junior Minister for Higher Education Mark Rutte left the cabinet to become parliamentary leader of the VVD on 28 June 2006. He was supposed to be succeeded by former The Hague Alderman Bruno Bruins, but the cabinet fell before he could be installed. The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ...

2006 cabinet crisis

On June 29 2006 a cabinet crisis erupted after cabinet member Rita Verdonk lost the support of the coalition party D66 over the Ayaan Hirsi Ali identity fraud controversy.^[4][5] June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... Rita Verdonk Drs. ... Ayaan Hirsi Ali Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( ), born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969 [1] in Mogadishu, Somalia, is a Dutch feminist and politician, daughter of Hirsi Magan Isse. ...

Hirsi Ali had signed a statement in which she expressed regret that she had misinformed the Minister regarding her name. On June 28 she made it known this statement was coerced. In a parliamentary debate on June 28 extending into the next day Verdonk and the Prime Minister maintained that the purpose of this statement was a legal one: Hirsi Ali was required to declare her intention to keep the name Hirsi Ali in order for her to retain her passport. However, in a crucial moment during the debate, the Prime Minister, in reply to a question by member of parliament van Beek asking about the purpose of the apology, answered that "it was a statement that the Minister for Integration and Immigration had to be able to live with".^[6] This statement was interpreted widely as political deal making by Verdonk at the expense of Hirsi Ali and not just a legality.

As a result, coalition party D66 supported the motion of no confidence against the Minister initiated by opposition party Groen Links in very strong words, stating that either the minister had to go, or that D66 would leave the cabinet. This motion did not get a majority vote. Later in the day on June 29 the Prime Minister issued a statement declaring that the ministers unanimously declared that the rejected motion did have no consequences for the cabinet (as it was not supported, the minister was not forced to go). The chairman of the parliamentary D66 group, Lousewies van der Laan then declared in a new parliamentary session that D66 could no longer support the entire cabinet ^[7]. A motion of no confidence, also called a motion of non-confidence, a censure motion, a no-confidence motion, or simply a confidence motion, is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ... GroenLinks (GL, GreenLeft) is a political party in the Netherlands. ... Lousewies van der Laan is a dutch politician for the left liberal Democrats 66 party. ...

The apparent differences between the D66 cabinet minister opinion (that the rejected motion did not mean that Verdonk had to go), and from the D66 parlaimentary group (that D66 support to the motion meant she had to) resulted in some tense hours where it appeared that the two D66 cabinet ministers Laurens Jan Brinkhorst and Alexander Pechtold had broken away from their party, supporting the cabinet but not their party member Lousewies van der Laan. However in a reconvened parliamentary session later that evening Laurens Jan Brinkhorst announced that he and Alexander Pechtold had resigned and supported their parliamentary fraction in this issue. The apparent difference was based on legality. As the VVD and CDA members of the cabinet did not want to fire minister Verdonk, as members of the cabinet the D66 ministers could do nothing but state the obvious legal fact that an unsupported motion has no legal consequence. The political decision to leave the coalition was subsequently made by the parlaimentary group. Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst (born March 18, 1937) is a Dutch politician. ... Alexander Pechtold (born December 16, 1965) was elected president of the Dutch social liberal party Democrats 66 in 2002. ... Lousewies van der Laan is a dutch politician for the left liberal Democrats 66 party. ... Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst (born March 18, 1937) is a Dutch politician. ... Alexander Pechtold (born December 16, 1965) was elected president of the Dutch social liberal party Democrats 66 in 2002. ...

Shortly after Prime Minister Balkenende announced that all remaining members of the cabinet would offer their resignations (portfolios) to Queen Beatrix.^[8][9]

At the conclusion of that day it was expected that new elections would be called for, which could be held in October 2006 at the earliest. Unlike the election process in for instance the United Kingdom where elections take place 4 weeks after its announcement, in the Netherlands it can take months between announcing elections and election day itself.

In the meantime VVD and CDA blamed D66 for the cabinet's demise: they argued that Verdonk did in fact respect the wishes of parliament when she ordered the re-examination of Hirsi Ali's passport position.^[10] Mark Rutte on his first day as parliamentary leader of the VVD was especially furious with D66, labeling their actions as scandalous. Lousewies van der Laan countered that she wanted only Verdonk and not the entire cabinet to resign, and that it was about the coerced statement, which she interpreted as abuse of power by the minister. She blamed VVD and CDA for deciding to keep Verdonk as minister. Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (born The Hague, February 14, 1967) is a Dutch Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) politician and State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the second Balkenende cabinet. ... Lousewies van der Laan is a dutch politician for the left liberal Democrats 66 party. ...

The newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad (FD) on June 30^[11] commented that it was highly unusual for a cabinet to resign even when they had survived the June 29 motion of no confidence. According to the FD, Balkenende made an expensive miscalculation and the coalition was not able to cope with accumulation of governmental screw ups, ego maniacal told-you-so attitude and political profiteering. As Prime Minister, Balkenende should have steered his cabinet around the pitfalls. A motion of no confidence, also called a motion of non-confidence, a censure motion, a no-confidence motion, or simply a confidence motion, is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ...

The Volkskrant on the same day commented ^[12] that D66 never was a strong supporter for this center-right cabinet and least of all a supporter of Verdonk. The newspaper described Balkenende as a poor leader with his ministers failing to acknowledge him. In short the cabinet slipped over a banana peel according to this paper. De Volkskrant is a Dutch newspaper. ...

NRC Handelsblad's ^[13] main editorial praised D66 and put the blame with Balkenende for not being able to limit the damage to a single minister, the paper questioned wether the CDA should maintain him as their political leader. NRC Handelsblad is a Dutch evening newspaper. ...

The timing of the cabinet collapse was poorly chosen for the two remaining coalition parties:^[12] the economy was improving after 3 years of harsh reforms and little growth; finally more people were working and unemployment rates showed a decline. The reforms initiated three years ago (one of them a 20 billion euro spending cut) were also starting to deliver results. It was felt that CDA and VVD have not been able to benefit from it to its full potential.^[12]

The polls already showed improved voter support for VVD and CDA compared to the record-low results the year before.^[12] The June 29 Nova poll allots 38 seats to the CDA, 31 seats to the VVD and 3 seats in parliament to D66; a majority requires 76 seats. Nova/Den Haag vandaag is a combined behind-the-news tv-show in the Netherlands made by VARA and NPS (Nova) and NOS (Den Haag vandaag - The Hague today), the latter of which is the political part of the show, which largely consists of interviews with reporters in the Dutch... The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD), literally Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy, is a free market liberal party in the Netherlands. ...

With the collapse of the cabinet new initiatives that were jeopardized were a proposed economic liberalization for gas utility companies, new regulations and new rules for competition regulators and liberalizations in the subsidized housing market. A Demissionair cabinet would no longer be able to tackle these issues but a minority government still could. Economic liberalization ... A competition regulator is a government agency, typically a statutory authority, which regulates competition laws, and may sometimes also regulate consumer protection laws. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when no political party has won a majority of seats in the parliament, typically by the party that does have a plurality. ...

On June 30 2006 the Prime Minister met with Queen Beatrix offering the resignation of the two D66 ministers and offering the Portfolio of the other ministers.^[14] Balkenende expressed his preference for a minority government, a so-called rompkabinet.^[15] Maxime Verhagen of the CDA and Mark Rutte (VVD) also gave their support for this solution when they were invited for consultation with Beatrix. Two important considerations for them were the imminent Dutch military NATO mission to Uruzgan Afghanistan and Budget Day in September 2006 which decides much of policy making for the year 2007. Her Majesty, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of Orange-Nassau (born January 31, 1938) is the Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne in 1980. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Maxime Jacques Marcel Verhagen (Maastricht, 14 September 1956) is a Dutch politician. ... Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (born The Hague, February 14, 1967) is a Dutch Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) politician and State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the second Balkenende cabinet. ...

The main opposition leaders were in favor of a Demissionair cabinet (without authority for new policies) and elections as soon as possible. There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

On July 1, Alexander Pechtold in an interview with NRC Handelsblad ^[16] raised his suspicion that VVD and CDA had already for a long time been prepared to drop D66 from the coalition in favor of the support of List Pim Fortuyn (LPF) in a minority cabinet. According to Pechtold it would explain the reluctance of VVD and CDA ministers to offer constructive solutions at the heigth of the crisis. The LPF on numerous occasions expressed their support for a minority cabinet adding the irony that after the first Balkende cabinet failed in 2003 because of the destructive attitude of LPF, it seems again the same LPF to replace D66. Alexander Pechtold (born December 16, 1965) was elected president of the Dutch social liberal party Democrats 66 in 2002. ... NRC Handelsblad is a Dutch evening newspaper. ... Lijst Pim Fortuyn (List Pim Fortuyn) is a political party in the Netherlands. ...

2006 Information round

Also on July 1, Queen Beatrix (as a non-elected Head of State) appointed Minister of State and former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers as so-called informateur to see if a so called 'rump cabinet' could be formed. This would be a cabinet of CDA and VVD with a minority of seats in parliament. This cabinet would therefore have to seek support from one or more opposition parties for every decision. General elections at this stage were planned to take place in November 2006 ^[17]. According to Lubbers the prospective Third Balkenende cabinet should be based on the Regeerakkoord of 2003 and the more recent Easter Accord. Her Majesty, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard of Orange-Nassau (born January 31, 1938) is the Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne in 1980. ... Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State of 16 countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand and the Bahamas, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... Headquartereded in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ... Rudolphus Franciscus Marie Lubbers or Ruud Lubbers (born May 7, 1939) was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, from 2001 until February 20, 2005, when he resigned because of continuous press attention about an allegation of sexual harassment. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ... The second cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende has been in office in the Netherlands from May 27, 2003. ... There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

This information was expected to take until July 7 with elections set at November 22 2006 ^[18] but Lubbers was able to present his final conclusions to the Queen already on July 5 ^[19]. Balkenende was then appointed as the so-called formateur with the actual task of forming a new cabinet, appoint new ministers and presenting a formal cabinet statement to parliament, completed on July 7 2006. There are several terms used in Dutch politics which are not easily translated into English. ...

References