0
parties won seats in parliament
Winning is just the start
How Dutch proportional representation and coalition government really work, told through the 2025 snap election.
The cast
Start here · the basics in 20 seconds
How it works, in 20 seconds.
Quick setup before the drama. The Netherlands is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy: there's a king, but parliament holds the power. Every citizen 18+ votes for the 150-seat House of Representatives, and the system is built so that every significant part of society gets a voice. That's why the door into parliament is held wide open.
- Constitutional monarchy King reigns, parliament rules.
- Universal suffrage Everyone 18+ votes.
- Proportional representation Your vote share = your seat share.
- A very low barrier How low? 0.67%
The paradox
A country where nobody wins.
In the Netherlands, 150 seats are split among many parties. In 2025, fifteen of them won seats, and not one came close to ruling alone. To govern you need 76. Nobody got there.
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parties with a one-party majority
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seats needed to form a government
The rules
One country, one big vote.
No districts, no winner-takes-all. Every vote is pooled nationally. About 70,479 votes, just 0.67%, buys exactly one seat.
Your vote
one ballot, counted nationally
0
votes = 0.67% = the "kiesdeler"
One seat
of 150 in the Tweede Kamer
76 = majority
the other 74 seats
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seats total
0%
threshold (1 seat)
0
majority
0%
turnout 2025
The players
Meet the parties, left to right.
Each block is a party; its width is the seats it won in 2025. Hover to see who leads it.
◀ LEFT
RIGHT ▶
The plot twist
From record high to collapse.
In 2023 the PVV won its biggest result ever. Eighteen months later the coalition fell, the clock struck midnight, and the country went back to the polls.
Nov 2023
PVV wins 37 seats. The biggest single result in modern Dutch history.
Jun 2025
The cabinet collapses. PVV quits; the Schoof government falls.
29 Oct 2025
Snap election. Turnout 78.3%, and a result nobody predicted.
Election night
2025: a historic tie.
Two parties finished dead level at 26 seats. D66 edged PVV by just 29,668 votes, the closest top-two finish since 1956.
150
seats · hover any seat to highlight its party
26 = 26. D66 (16.94%) and PVV (16.66%) tied on seats. D66 led by just 0 votes, the closest since 1956.
The real win
Power is decided after the vote.
Coming first doesn't make you prime minister. Parties have to negotiate a coalition, and that usually takes months.
1
Verkenner
A scout sounds out which parties could work together.
2
Informateur
Leads the talks and tests whether a majority can hold.
3
Regeerakkoord
The parties sign a written coalition agreement.
4
Formateur
Builds the cabinet, usually the new prime minister.
0 days
The 2021 coalition took a record 299 days to form. In the Netherlands, governing is a marathon that starts only after the votes are counted.
In the Netherlands, winning an election is just the opening move.