At stake in this election:

• 150 seats in the Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Queen BEATRIX *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE
• Assembly: Netherlands has a bicameral States General (Staten Generaal) consisting of the First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) with 75 seats and the Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer) with 150 seats.

* The Netherlands is a Constitutional Monarchy.

Description of electoral system:

• The Queen is hereditary N/A.
• In the First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) 75 members are elected to serve 4-year terms*. In the Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer) 150 members are elected through an open-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.

* 75 members are elected by indirect vote by the country's 12 provincial councils to serve 4-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA)
  • Leader: Jan Peter BALKENENDE
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 41
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 44
• Party: Labor Party (PvdA)
  • Leader: Wouter BOS
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 33
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 42
• Party: Socialist Party (SP)
  • Leader: Jan MARIJNISSEN
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 25
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 9
• Party: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)
  • Leader: Mark RUTTE
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 22
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 28
• Party: Party for Freedom (PvdV)
  • Leader: Geert WILDERS
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 9
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: N/A
• Party: Green Left (GL)
  • Leader: Femke HALSEMA
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 7
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 8
• Party: Christian Union (CU)
  • Leader: Andre ROUVOET
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 6
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 3
• Party: Democrats 66 (D66)
  • Leader: Alexander PECHTOLD
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 3
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 6
• Party: Party for the Animals (PvdD)
  • Leader: Marianne THIEME
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 2
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: N/A
• Party: Reformed Political Party (SGP)
  • Leader: Bas van der VLIES
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 2
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 2
• Party: Other Parties
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 0
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 8

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held on 22 January 2003.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 16,491,461 (July 2006 est.)
• Registered Voters: 12,264,503 (November 2006)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 8,158,984 (2002)

·         Is Netherlands a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Netherlands ratified CEDAW: Yes (23 July 1991)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 55 (Second Chamber) following the 2006 elections; 24 (First Chamber) following the 2003 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 5 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Netherlands a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Netherlands ratified CRPD: Yes (14 June 2016)

·         Population with a disability: 2,473,719 (est.)