House of Representatives (Netherlands) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids House of Representatives Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal
States General of the Netherlands
Type
Type	Lower house
Leadership
Speaker	Martin Bosma, PVV Since 14 December 2023
First Deputy Speaker	Tom van der Lee, GL–PvdA Since 19 December 2023
Second Deputy Speaker	Roelien Kamminga, VVD Since 19 December 2023
Structure
Seats	150
Political groups	Government (41) (demissionary)      VVD (24)      D66 (9)      CDA (5)      CU (3) Opposition (109)      PVV (37)      GL–PvdA (25)      NSC (20)      BBB (7)      SP (5)      FvD (3)      PvdD (3)      SGP (3)      DENK (3)      Volt (2)      JA21 (1)
Elections
Voting system	Open party-list proportional representation (D'Hondt method)
Last election	22 November 2023
Next election	On or before 15 March 2028
Meeting place
Binnenhof, The Hague (closed due to ongoing renovations)
Bezuidenhoutseweg 67, The Hague (temporary)

The House of Representatives (in Dutch: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, meaning "Second Chamber of the States General") is an important part of the government in the Netherlands. It's like the "lower house" of the Dutch parliament, called the States General. The other part is the Senate.

This House has 150 members, and they are chosen through elections. People vote for political parties, and seats are given based on how many votes each party gets. The House usually meets in the Binnenhof in The Hague, but it's currently in a temporary building while the Binnenhof is being fixed up.

What's in a Name?

Even though it's called the "House of Representatives" in English, its Dutch name is "Second Chamber of the States General." Most people just call it the "Second Chamber" or "Tweede Kamer." A person who is a member of the House is called a (Tweede) Kamerlid, which means "member of the (Second) Chamber."

What the House of Representatives Does

The House of Representatives is the main place where new laws are made and discussed. It also checks on what the government, called the cabinet, is doing.

• Making Laws: Both the cabinet and the House can suggest new laws. The House talks about these ideas, and if most members agree, the idea goes to the Senate to be approved.
• Checking the Cabinet: The House can ask the cabinet questions and hold discussions about their actions. Sometimes, they might even pass a motion, which is a formal request for the cabinet to do something or to stop doing something.
• Choosing Judges: The House helps choose judges for the highest court in the Netherlands, the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. They suggest a list of names for each open position.
• Electing the Ombudsman: The House also chooses the Dutch Ombudsman, who is like a public watchdog that helps citizens if they have problems with the government.

It's important to know that someone cannot be a member of both the parliament and the cabinet at the same time.

How Elections Work

Members of the House of Representatives are usually elected for four years. Elections can happen sooner if the government loses support, if the parties in charge can't agree, or if a new government can't be formed.

Political Parties and Candidates

In the Netherlands, anyone who can vote can also start a political party and try to get elected to the House of Representatives.

• Registering for Elections: Parties must sign up about 43 days before an election. They provide a list of people who want to be elected, called candidates.
• Candidate Lists: Each party has a list of candidates. The person at the top of the list is usually the party leader and the one who might become the Prime Minister.
• Voting for Candidates: When you vote, you choose one candidate from one party's list. Most people vote for the top candidate. However, you can also vote for someone lower down on the list if you prefer them.

Who Can Vote?

If you are 18 or older and a citizen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, you can vote.

• Voting in the Netherlands: If you live in the Netherlands, you'll automatically get an invitation to vote.
• Voting from Abroad: Dutch citizens living outside the Netherlands can also register to vote.
• Special Rules: People living in Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten can vote if they have lived in the Netherlands for at least ten years or work for the Dutch government.

How Seats Are Given Out

After everyone votes, the 150 seats in the House are given to the parties.

• Winning Seats: The total number of votes is divided by 150 to find out how many votes are needed for one seat. This is about 0.67% of all votes.
• Small Parties: Because the number of votes needed for a seat is quite low, many different parties, even small ones, can win seats in the House.
• Preference Votes: If a candidate gets a lot of personal votes (more than a quarter of the votes needed for a seat), they can get a seat even if they were lower on their party's list.

Forming a Government

After an election, different political parties talk to each other to try and form a new government. This government usually needs to have the support of most members in the House.

• Finding a Coalition: Since 2012, the House of Representatives chooses someone to "scout" around and talk to party leaders about who might work together. Then, they appoint an "informateur" to explore possible groups of parties, and a "formateur" who leads the final talks to form the government.
• Why Coalitions? The Dutch election system means that many parties usually win seats. It's very rare for one party to win enough seats (76 out of 150) to govern alone. Because of this, Dutch governments are almost always made up of two or more parties working together.

Who is in the House Now?

Historical Changes in Seats

Representation per party, between 1946 and 2021

The House of Representatives used to have 100 seats. In 1956, this number was changed to 150, which is how many it has today. The image on the right shows how the seats have been divided among parties since 1946.

Current Members

The table below shows how the House of Representatives looks after the 2023 election.

Leaders of the House

The House of Representatives has a group of leaders called the Presidium. They help run the meetings and make sure everything goes smoothly. The main leader is called the Speaker.

Position	Portrait	Name	Group		Service in the Presidium	Service in the House of Representatives
Speaker		Martin Bosma (born 1964)		Party for Freedom	30 June 2010 (14 years, 358 days)	30 November 2006 (18 years, 205 days)
First Deputy Speaker		Tom van der Lee (born 1964)		GroenLinks–PvdA	14 June 2018 (7 years, 9 days)	23 March 2017 (8 years, 92 days)
Second Deputy Speaker		Roelien Kamminga (born 1978)		VVD	7 July 2021 (3 years, 351 days)	31 March 2021 (4 years, 84 days)
Third Deputy Speaker		Nicolien van Vroonhoven-Kok (born 1971)		New Social Contract	19 December 2023 (1 year, 186 days)	23 May 2002 - 12 May 2008, 18 August 2008 - 17 June 2010, 6 December 2023 (9 years, 128 days)
Fourth Deputy Speaker		Wieke Paulusma (born 1978)		Democrats 66	19 December 2023 (1 year, 186 days)	15 April 2021 (4 years, 69 days)
Fifth Deputy Speaker		Henk Vermeer (born 1966)		Farmer–Citizen Movement	19 December 2023 (1 year, 186 days)	6 December 2023 (1 year, 199 days)
Sixth Deputy Speaker		Gidi Markuszower (born 1977)		Party for Freedom	19 December 2023 (1 year, 186 days)	21 March 2017 (8 years, 94 days)

Committees in Parliament

The House of Representatives works in smaller groups called parliamentary committees. Each committee focuses on a specific area, like education, health, or foreign affairs. This helps them study topics in detail and prepare new laws.

Images for kids

• 

  Graph of the wasted vote in the Netherlands from 2002 to 2021

See also

In Spanish: Cámara de Representantes de los Estados Generales para niños