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factoids

6.3 Percentage point>pp)| election_date = 15 March 2017| leader1 = Mark Rutte| party1 = People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy| last_election1 = 41| seats1 = 33| percentage1 = 21.29| leader2 = Geert Wilders| party2 = Party for Freedom| last_election2 = 15| seats2 = 20| percentage2 = 13.06Sybrand van Haersma Buma}}| party3 = Christian Democratic Appeal| last_election3 = 13| seats3 = 19| percentage3 = 12.38| leader4 = Alexander Pechtold| party4 = Democrats 66| last_election4 = 12| seats4 = 19| percentage4 = 12.23| leader5 = Jesse Klaver| party5 = GroenLinks| last_election5 = 4| seats5 = 14| percentage5 = 9.13| leader6 = Emile Roemer| party6 = Socialist Party (Netherlands)| last_election6 = 15| seats6 = 14| percentage6 = 9.09| leader7 = Lodewijk Asscher| party7 = Labour Party (Netherlands)| last_election7 = 38| seats7 = 9| percentage7 = 5.70| leader8 = Gert-Jan Segers| party8 = Christian Union (Netherlands)| last_election8 = 5| seats8 = 5| percentage8 = 3.39| leader9 = Marianne Thieme| party9 = Party for the Animals| last_election9 = 2| seats9 = 5| percentage9 = 3.19| leader10 = Henk Krol| party10 = 50PLUS| last_election10 = 2| seats10 = 4| percentage10 = 3.11| leader11 = Kees van der Staaij| party11 = Reformed Political Party| last_election11 = 3| seats11 = 3| percentage11 = 2.08| leader12 = Tunahan Kuzu| party12 = DENK (political party)| last_election12 = new| seats12 = 3| percentage12 = 2.06| leader13 = Thierry Baudet| party13 = Forum for Democracy (Netherlands)| last_election13 = new| seats13 = 2| percentage13 = 1.78| map = Tweede Kamerverkiezingen 2017.svg| map_caption = Most voted-for party by municipalityCabinet of the Netherlands>Cabinet| before_election = Second Rutte cabinetPeople’s Party for Freedom and Democracy>VVD–PvdA| after_election = Third Rutte cabinetPeople’s Party for Freedom and Democracy>VVD–Christian Democratic Appeal–Democrats 66>D66–CU}}General elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday 15 March 2017 to elect all 150 members of the House of Representatives.WEB,www.kiesraad.nl/verkiezingen/inhoud/tweede-kamer, Verkiezingskalender, Kiesraad, 13 September 2016, The incumbent government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte was the first to serve a full term since 2002. The previous elections in 2012 had resulted in a ruling coalition of his People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Labour Party (PvdA). Because the second Rutte cabinet lacked a majority in the Senate, it relied on the support of Democrats 66 (D66), the Christian Union (CU) and the Reformed Political Party (SGP).The VVD lost seats but remained the largest party, while the PvdA saw a massive loss in vote share and seats,NEWS, Mehreen Khan, Dutch election: everything you need to know as tricky coalition talks loom,www.ft.com/content/10cb2c91-7f9b-32a0-99a8-ebb43574e9ca, 16 March 2017, Financial Times, 16 March 2017, failing to win a single municipality for the first time in the party’s history.NEWS, PvdA in geen enkele gemeente de grootste,fd.nl/economie-politiek/1192575/pvda-in-geen-enkele-gemeente-de-grootste, Financieele Dagblad, 16 March 2017, 16 March 2017, The Party for Freedom (PVV) made gains to reach second place, with the CDA, D66 and GroenLinks also increasing their number of seats. It was clear that at least four partners would be needed for a coalition with a parliamentary majority. The official election results were certified and published on 21 March. The elected MPs took their seats on 23 March.WEB, Tweede Kamerverkiezingen 2017,www.tweedekamer.nl/zo-werkt-de-kamer/tweede-kamerverkiezingen-2017, Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, 16 March 2017, 16 March 2017,

Electoral system and organisation

File:Stembureau Winterswijk 4.jpg|thumb|Polling station in left(File:Campagneaftrap PvdA (32610291546).jpg|thumb|left|Asscher campaigning)The House of Representatives (Dutch: Tweede Kamer) is composed of 150 seats elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency, with a legal threshold of 1 full seat (0.67%), and residuals assigned by the D’Hondt method.WEB,www.government.nl/binaries/government/documents/leaflets/2010/06/25/elections-act/pdf-voor-engelse-site-elections-act-2010.pdf, Act of 28 September 1989 containing new provisions governing the franchise and elections (Elections Act), Government of the Netherlands, 29 October 2009, 16 March 2017, BOOK, Gallagher, Michael, Mitchell, Paul, 2005, The Politics of Electoral Systems, Oxford, New York, Oxford University Press, The Netherlands: The Sanctity of Proportionality, Rudy, Andeweg, 0-19-925756-6, The Senate is indirectly elected by the States-Provincial.Electronic voting has been banned since 2007; votes must be cast with a red pencil.Following reports from the General Intelligence and Security Service (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst, AIVD) that Russian hacking groups Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear had made several attempts to hack into Dutch ministries, including the Ministry of General Affairs, to gain access to secret government documents.NEWS, Huib Modderkolk, Russen faalden bij hackpogingen ambtenaren op Nederlandse ministeries,www.volkskrant.nl/tech/russische-hackers-probeerden-binnen-te-dringen-bij-ministerie-algemene-zaken~a4457869/, Volkskrant, 4 February 2017, 16 March 2017, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk announced that votes for the election would therefore be processed by hand,NEWS, Peter Cluskey, Dutch opt for manual count after reports of Russian hacking,www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/dutch-opt-for-manual-count-after-reports-of-russian-hacking-1.2962777, The Irish Times, 3 February 2017, 17 March 2017, although that decision was later reversed.NEWS,www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/plasterk-draait-toch-stemsoftware-bij-verkiezingen~a4469819/, Plasterk draait: tóch stemsoftware bij verkiezingen, Huib Modderkolk, 3 March 2017, de Volkskrant, The election was also seen as an indication of interest in the national political system in the Caribbean Netherlands, after the low turnout seen there in the 2012 election.NEWS, Verkiezingen Caribische graadmeter,www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/27808290/__Verkiezingen_graadmeter_BES__.html, Telegraaf, 15 March 2017, 16 March 2017,

Participating parties{| class“wikitable” style@text-align:left;”

! List! colspan=“2” | Party! LijsttrekkerWEB, 28 partijen nemen deel aan Tweede Kamerverkiezing,www.kiesraad.nl/actueel/nieuws/2017/02/03/partijen-nemen-deel-aan-tweede-kamerverkiezing-2017, Kiesraad, 3 February 2017, 16 March 2017, !DistrictsPeople’s Party for Freedom and Democracy >| Mark Rutte|20Labour Party (Netherlands)>Labour Party PvdA Lodewijk Asscher|20Party for Freedom >| Geert Wilders|20Socialist Party (Netherlands)>Socialist Party SP Emile Roemer|20Christian Democratic Appeal >| Sybrand van Haersma Buma|20Democrats 66 >| Alexander Pechtold|20Christian Union (Netherlands)>Christian Union CU Gert-Jan Segers|20GroenLinks >| Jesse Klaver|20Reformed Political Party >| Kees van der Staaij|20Party for the Animals >| Marianne Thieme|2050PLUS >| Henk Krol|20Entrepreneurs Party >| Hero Brinkman|20VoorNederland >Jan Roos (journalist)>Jan Roos|20DENK (political party)>DENK DENK Tunahan Kuzu|20Nieuwe Wegen >| Jacques Monasch|20Forum for Democracy (Netherlands)>Forum for Democracy FVD Thierry Baudet|20De Burger Beweging>The Civil Movement DBB Ad Vlems|19Vrijzinnige Partij>Free-minded Party VP Norbert Klein|19GeenPeil >| Jan Dijkgraaf|19Pirate Party (Netherlands)>Pirate Party PP Ancilla van de Leest|19Bij1>Artikel 1 A1 Sylvana Simons|18Niet Stemmers>Non-Voters NS Peter Plasman|16Libertarian Party (Netherlands)>Libertarian Party LP Robert Valentine|16Lokaal in de Kamer >PUBLISHER=LOKAAL IN DE KAMER| Jan Heijman|16Jezus Leeft >| Florens van der Spek|7StemNL >| Mario van den Eijnde|9Party for Human and Spirit>Human and Spirit/Basisinkomen Partij/Vrede en Recht>Peace and Justice MenS–BIP Tara-Joëlle Fonk|2Vrije Democratische Partij>Free Democratic Party VDP Burhan Gökalp|2

Campaign

The 2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident happened less than a week before the election; it was speculated that this benefited the Prime Minister’s party (VVD), as Rutte’s response to the incident was well received.NEWS, Tobias den Hartog, PVV zakt flink weg in peilingen, VVD profiteert,www.ad.nl/dossier-aanloop-verkiezingen-tweede-kamer/vvd-profiteert-van-turkije-rel~ababca22/, Algemeen Dagblad, 14 March 2017, 16 March 2017, †“>

Debates{| class“wikitable”†

! style="background:#B0C4DE” colspan=“14“| Dutch general election debates, 2017!style="white-space:nowrap;” rowspan=“3“| {{small|Date}}|| rowspan=“3“| {{small|Organisers}} || rowspan=“3“| {{small|Venue}} ||scope=“col” colspan=“10“| {{small|  }} {{Colors|black|#90ff90| P }} {{small|Present  }} {{Colors|black|#ff9090| NI }} {{small|Non-invitee }} {{Colors|black|#ff9090| A }} {{small|Absent invitee }} || rowspan=“3” | {{small|Note}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Roemer}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Krol}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Thieme}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Klaver}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Asscher}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Pechtold}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Rutte}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Segers}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Buma}}! scope=“col” style="width:4em;“|{{small|Wilders}}! style="background:{{party color|Socialist Party (Netherlands)}};“|! style="background:{{party color|50PLUS}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Party for the Animals}};“|! style="background:{{party color|GroenLinks}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Labour Party (Netherlands)}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Democrats 66}};“|! style="background:{{party color|People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Christian Union (Netherlands)}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Christian Democratic Appeal}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Party for Freedom}};“|26 FebruaryRTL NieuwsDe Rode HoedP}}NI}}NI}}P}}P}}P}}A}}NI}}P}}A}}PUBLISHER=MEDIACOURANTACCESS-DATE=16 MARCH 2017, 5 MarchBNR Newsradio, RTL Nieuws, Elsevier (magazine)>ElsevierCarré TheatreP}}P}}P}}P}}P}}P}}P}}A}}P}}A}}PUBLISHER=CARRé-DEBAT, 16 March 2017, 13 MarchEenVandaagErasmus UniversityNI}}NI}}NI}}NI}}NI}}NI}}P}}NI}}NI}}P}}PUBLISHER=EENVANDAAGACCESS-DATE=16 MARCH 2017, 14 MarchNOSBinnenhofP}}P}}P}}P}}P}}P}}P}}P}}P}}P}}PUBLISHER=NOSACCESS-DATE=16 MARCH 2017,

Opinion polls

Polls showed a precipitous collapse for both the VVD and PvdA following their decision to form a coalition government together after the 2012 elections, with support for the latter splitting among other left-wing or liberal parties. As with other right-wing populist parties, the Party for Freedom (PVV) rose in polls during the European migrant crisis, with the party topping polls from September 2015 through to late February 2017. However, in the relative absence of Geert Wilders during the campaign – notably refusing to participate in both RTL debates – support for the PVV collapsed, and the VVD secured a narrow lead in the final weeks before the election.The seat projections in the graphs below are continuous from September 2012 (the last general election) up to the current date. Each colored line specifies a political party; numbers on the vertical axis represent numbers of seats. These seat estimates are derived from estimates by Peilingwijzer (“polling indicator“) by Tom Louwerse, a professor of political science at Leiden University; they are not strictly polling averages, but the results of a model calculating a “trajectory” for each party based on changes in support over time between polls conducted by I&O Research, Ipsos, TNS NIPO, LISS panel, Peil, and De Stemming, and adjusting for the house effects of each individual pollster.WEB, Tom Louwerse, Peilingwijzer: Methode,peilingwijzer.tomlouwerse.nl/p/methode.html, Peilingwijzer, 16 March 2017, (File:Opinion polling for the Dutch general election, 2017.png|800px){{columns-list|colwidth=10em|style=width:150px;text-align:center;font-weight:bold;|{{legend stripe|#316395}}VVD{{legend stripe|#dc3912}}PvdA{{legend stripe|#999999}}PVV{{legend stripe|#dd4477}}SP{{legend stripe|#274e13}}CDA{{legend stripe|#6aa84f}}D66{{legend stripe|#0099c6}}CU{{legend stripe|#66aa00}}GL{{legend stripe|#ff9900}}SGP{{legend stripe|#38761d}}PvdD{{legend stripe|#994499}}50+{{legend stripe|#3d85c6}}VNL{{legend stripe|#22aa99}}DENK{{legend stripe|#783f04}}FVD{{legend stripe|#674ea7}}PPNL}}

Results

Preliminary results were published on 15 March, and the official result was announced at 16:00 CET on 21 March.WEB, Kerngegevens Tweede Kamerverkiezingen 2017,www.kiesraad.nl/adviezen-en-publicaties/rapporten/2017/3/kerngegevens-tweede-kamerverkiezing-2017/kerngegevens-tweede-kamerverkiezing-2017, Kiesraad, 21 March 2017, 21 March 2017, The total wasted vote was 161,327 votes or 1.55 %.{{Election results|image=(File:Tweede Kamer 2017.svg)People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy>votes1=2238351sc1=−8Party for Freedom>votes2=1372941sc2=+5Christian Democratic Appeal>votes3=1301796sc3=+6Democrats 66>votes4=1285819sc4=+7GroenLinks>votes5=959600sc5=+10Socialist Party (Netherlands)>Socialist Partyseats6=14|sc6=−1Labour Party (Netherlands)>Labour Partyseats7=9|sc7=−29Christian Union (Netherlands)>Christian Unionseats8=5|sc8=0Party for the Animals>votes9=335214sc9=+350PLUS>votes10=327131sc10=+2Reformed Political Party>votes11=218950sc11=0DENK (political party)>DENKseats12=3|sc12=NewForum for Democracy>votes13=187162sc13=NewVoorNederland>votes14=38209sc14=NewPirate Party (Netherlands)>Pirate Partyseats15=0|sc15=0BIJ1>Artikel 1seats16=0|sc16=NewJacques Monasch>Nieuwe Wegenseats17=0|sc17=NewEntrepreneurs’ Party (Netherlands)>Entrepreneurs’ Partyseats18=0|sc18=Newvotes19=6858sc19=Newvotes20=6025sc20=Newvotes21=5221sc21=NewGeenPeil>votes22=4945sc22=NewJezus Leeft>votes23=3099sc23=NewNorbert Klein (politician)>Free-Minded Partyseats24=0|sc24=NewLibertarian Party (Netherlands)>Libertarian Partyseats25=0|sc25=0Party for Human and Spirit>MenS–Basic Income Party–V-R>votes26=726sc26=0votes27=527sc27=Newvotes28=177sc28=New|total_sc=0|invalid=47415|electorate=12893466|source=Kiesraad}}

By province{| class“wikitable sortable” style@text-align:center;font-size:90%;line-height:14px”

style="height:40px;“! rowspan=“2“| Province! style="width:40px;“| VVD! style="width:40px;“| PVV! style="width:40px;“| CDA! style="width:40px;“| D66! style="width:40px;“| GL! style="width:40px;“| SP! style="width:40px;“| PvdA! style="width:40px;“| CU! style="width:40px;“| PvdD! style="width:40px;“| 50+! style="width:40px;“| SGP! style="width:40px;“| DENK! style="width:40px;“| FvD! style="width:40px;” rowspan=“2“| Others! style="background:{{party color|People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Party for Freedom}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Christian Democratic Appeal}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Democrats 66}};“|! style="background:{{party color|GroenLinks}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Socialist Party (Netherlands)}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Labour Party (Netherlands)}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Christian Union (Netherlands)}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Party for the Animals}};“|! style="background:{{party color|50PLUS}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Reformed Political Party}};“|! style="background:{{party color|DENK (political party)}};“|! style="background:{{party color|Forum for Democracy}};“| {{flag|Drenthe}} 19.6| 12.8| 14.4| 10.2| 7.8| 11.9| 8.6| 4.6| 2.6| 3.5| 0.8| 0.3| 1.8| 1.1 {{flag|Flevoland}} 20.7| 14.7| 10.7| 10.0| 7.9| 8.1| 5.1| 4.7| 3.2| 3.8| 3.9| 2.1| 2.1| 3.0 {{flag|Friesland}}| 17.0| 11.2 18.9| 9.7| 8.4| 11.1| 8.4| 5.1| 2.9| 2.9| 0.9| 0.2| 1.8| 1.5 {{flag|Gelderland}} 20.9| 11.7| 13.9| 11.9| 8.8| 9.1| 5.4| 4.5| 2.9| 2.8| 4.1| 1.4| 1.5| 1.1 {{flag|Groningen}}| 13.9| 11.2| 11.6| 12.6| 11.913.9| 8.3| 6.0| 3.6| 2.8| 0.7| 0.5| 1.6| 1.4 {{flagname=Limburg}}| 17.9 19.6| 14.9| 10.6| 6.8| 13.7| 4.0| 0.6| 2.9| 4.6| 0.1| 1.1| 2.0| 1.2 {{flag|North Brabant}} 24.1| 14.6| 13.3| 11.6| 7.8| 12.3| 4.2| 1.2| 2.6| 3.3| 0.5| 1.7| 1.6| 1.2 {{flag|North Holland}} 23.2| 10.8| 8.0| 14.8| 12.3| 7.1| 6.8| 1.8| 4.4| 3.1| 0.4| 3.0| 2.0| 2.3 {{flag|Overijssel}}| 18.7| 11.6 19.8| 10.6| 7.0| 9.2| 5.5| 6.0| 2.1| 2.5| 3.0| 1.5| 1.5| 1.0 {{flag|South Holland}} 22.1| 14.5| 10.2| 12.1| 8.7| 6.7| 5.5| 3.7| 3.3| 3.1| 3.1| 3.3| 2.1| 1.6 {{flag|Utrecht}} 22.7| 10.0| 10.7| 15.3| 11.7| 5.7| 5.2| 4.9| 3.4| 2.3| 2.6| 2.7| 1.5| 1.3 {{flag|Zeeland}} 19.7| 13.3| 13.5| 8.1| 6.2| 9.5| 5.6| 4.6| 2.9| 3.5| 9.5| 0.7| 1.7| 1.2 {{flag|Caribbean Netherlands}}| 12.4| 4.2| 23.625.9| 8.9| 5.5| 7.1| 3.0| 3.5| 1.3| 0.4| 0.5| 1.3| 2.4

Government formation

{{See also|Dutch cabinet formation}}The election resulted in a House of Representatives where at least four parties would be required to form a coalition with a majority (76 seats). Media sources speculated that incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the VVD would seek to form a government with the support of the centre-right CDA and liberal D66. CU was thought to be the most likely candidate to be the fourth member of the coalition.NEWS, Dutch election: Wilders defeat celebrated by PM Rutte,www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39287689, 16 March 2017, BBC News, 16 March 2017, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, Edith Schippers, was selected by the VVD to serve as the party’s informateur on 16 March and appointed by Speaker of the House Khadija Arib, seeking to determine whether Jesse Klaver of GroenLinks solely desired a left-wing government, or instead simply viewed the VVD as an unlikely coalition partner. Similarly, talks with Emile Roemer of the Socialist Party (SP), who repeatedly stated during the campaign that his party would not govern with the VVD, remained a possibility.NEWS, Nederland Kiest: ‘formatie wordt moeilijk, moeilijk, moeilijk’,nos.nl/liveblog/2163397-nederland-kiest-formatie-wordt-moeilijk-moeilijk-moeilijk.html, NOS, 16 March 2017, 16 March 2017, The leaders of D66, CDA, PvdA, VVD, SP, GroenLinks, and CU stated that they would not enter a coalition with the PVV,NEWS, Wilders: liever een coalitie dan een revolte,nos.nl/artikel/2084532-wilders-liever-een-coalitie-dan-een-revolte.html, NOS, 2 February 2016, 16 March 2017, NEWS, Buma weigert regeren met PVV nog steeds,www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/24631201/__Buma_weigert_regeren_met_PVV__.html, Telegraaf, 18 October 2015, 16 March 2017, NEWS, PvdA-voorzitter Spekman: Henk en Mark, zeg nee tegen de PVV,nos.nl/artikel/2152980-pvda-voorzitter-spekman-henk-en-mark-zeg-nee-tegen-de-pvv.html, NOS, 14 January 2017, 16 March 2016, NEWS, Rutte: kans op regering VVD met PVV is nul,nos.nl/artikel/2153087-rutte-kans-op-regering-vvd-met-pvv-is-nul.html, NOS, 15 January 2017, 16 March 2017, NEWS, Sasha Kester, Roemer sluit samenwerking met VVD uit en roept PvdA op hetzelfde te doen,www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/roemer-sluit-samenwerking-met-vvd-uit-en-roept-pvda-op-hetzelfde-te-doen~a4448551/, Volkskrant, 14 January 2017, 16 March 2017, NEWS, Klaver sluit VVD niet uit, PVV wel,www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/27434801/__Klaver__GL__sluit_PVV_uit__.html, Telegraaf, 15 January 2017, 16 March 2017, NEWS, ChristenUnie sluit samenwerking met PVV uit,www.grootnieuwsradio.nl/k/n663/news/view/97410/42103/christenunie-sluit-samenwerking-met-pvv-uit.html, Groot Nieuws Radio, 23 January 2017, 16 March 2017,www.grootnieuwsradio.nl/k/n663/news/view/97410/42103/christenunie-sluit-samenwerking-met-pvv-uit.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20170317055340www.grootnieuwsradio.nl/k/n663/news/view/97410/42103/christenunie-sluit-samenwerking-met-pvv-uit.html,">web.archive.org/web/20170317055340www.grootnieuwsradio.nl/k/n663/news/view/97410/42103/christenunie-sluit-samenwerking-met-pvv-uit.html, 17 March 2017, dead, and Roemer has also said that the SP will not join a coalition with the VVD.NEWS, Edwin van der Aa, Hans van Soest, Emile Roemer sluit VVD uit,www.ad.nl/binnenland/emile-roemer-sluit-vvd-uit~ae4ad92f/, Algemeen Dagblad, 14 January 2017, 16 March 2017, The first proposed coalition was one involving the VVD-CDA-D66 and GroenLinks. This was the preferred coalition of Alexander Pechtold, Lodewijk Asscher and Gert-Jan Segers, while Jesse Klaver continued to argue that the major policy differences between GL and the VVD would make a coalition difficult.WEB, Vries, Joost de, Van middenkabinet tot ‘christelijk progressief’, alle formatiewensen op een rij - Binnenland - Voor nieuws, achtergronden en columns,www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/van-middenkabinet-tot-christelijk-progressief-alle-formatiewensen-op-een-rij~a4476603/, 20 March 2017, De Volkskrant, 28 March 2017, nl-NL, Nevertheless, the four parties began more serious negotiations toward a coalition agreement. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) reported that “labour market reform, investment in law enforcement and additional money for nursing homes” would be areas of agreement between the parties, while “refugee policy, income distribution, climate and medical ethics issues are potential stumbling blocks”.WEB, Formatie dag 8: de onderhandelingen gaan beginnen,nos.nl/artikel/2164690-formatie-dag-8-de-onderhandelingen-gaan-beginnen.html, 23 March 2017, NOS, 28 March 2017, nl, On 15 May, talks on the proposed four-way VVD-CDA-D66-GL coalition failed. It was reported that the main dispute concerned immigration, but GL leader Jesse Klaver cited climate issues and income differences as other issues where the parties disagreed. The end of the talks was reported to be a consensus decision, with no party blaming any others.Dutch coalition talks failed say officials, (in English) politico.eu.BBC News, Europe.Coalition talks were reported to be at an impasse, with the VVD and CDA favouring a coalition with the CU, D66 favouring a coalition with either PvdA or SP, SP being absolutely opposed to a coalition with the VVD, CDA being opposed to a coalition without the VVD, PvdA rejecting any coalition, and all parties with more than five seats rejecting a coalition with the PVV. D66 said that it would consider a coalition with the CU very difficult due to disagreements on medical-ethical issues such as doctor-assisted suicide, due to the lack of representation of the political left within that coalition, and due to the small majority of one seat in both chambers, which could make for an unstable coalition.Geen kans op slagen met CU (in Dutch), telegraaf.nl.Formatie in impassie: D66 nog geen zin in CU (in Dutch), nrc.nl, 2017.05.18.In late June 2017, discussions began again between VVD, D66, CDA and CU under the lead of new informateur Herman Tjeenk Willink. After a three-week summer break, talks resumed on 9 August 2017, and were reported to be close to a conclusion due to representatives of unions and employers’ organizations joining the discussions, which typically happens near the end of such negotiations.Dutch government talks near finish line Politico 4 August 2017.Talks to form Dutch govt kick off again after break Yahoo News 9 August 2017. In September 2017, a budget deal compromise was reached allowing the coalition talks to continue. While still ‘close to conclusion’, it appeared likely that the talks about government formation would exceed the record since World War II of 208 days set in 1977.NEWS,www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/dutch-budget-deal-prevents-collapse-of-shaky-coalition-1.3219753, Dutch budget deal prevents collapse of shaky coalition, The Irish Times, 13 September 2017, 2 October 2017, After 208 days of negotiations, the VVD, D66, CDA and CU agreed to a coalition under a third informateur, Gerrit Zalm,NEWS, 208 Days to Forge Four-Party Coalition Dutch Government,www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/208-days-to-forge-fourparty-coalition-dutch-government/news-story/57a20dcbeec7757c8e87b9228e5520f3, 10 October 2017, The Australian, 9 October 2017, WEB, Kroet, Cynthia, Dutch Coalition Partners Agree on Government Deal, Seek Party Backing,www.politico.eu/article/dutch-coalition-partners-agree-on-government-deal-seek-party-backing/, 9 October 2017, Politico, 9 October 2017, NEWS, Henley, Jon, Dutch Parties Agree Coalition Government After a Record 208 Days,www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/09/dutch-politicians-ready-form-government-election-coalition, 9 October 2017, The Guardian, 9 October 2017, and all members of the House of Representatives of the involved parties approved the agreement on 9 October 2017.WEB, Kroet, Cynthia, Dutch Government Coalition Deal Receives Parliamentary Backing,www.politico.eu/article/mark-rutte-dutch-government-coalition-deal-receives-parliamentary-backing/, 10 October 2017, Politico, 9 October 2017, On 26 October the new cabinet was formally installed 225 days after the elections, setting a record for the longest cabinet formation in history.

See also

• 2016 Labour Party leadership election
• 2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident
• List of members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, 2017–2021

Further reading

• Mathilde M. van Ditmars, Nicola Maggini & Joost van Spanje (2019) Small winners and big losers: strategic party behaviour in the 2017 Dutch general election, West European Politics

References

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External links

• {{Commons category-inline|Dutch general elections 2017}}

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