Voter turnout of national parliamentary elections in the Netherlands 1971-2017
Unlike for example in neighboring Belgium, the Netherlands does not have compulsory voting. The voter turnout for parliamentary elections in the country therefore never reached 100 percent. Voter turnout peaked in 1977, when 88 percent of Dutch citizens 18 years and older went to the polls. By comparison, during the last elections (2017) this was nearly 82 percent. The 2017 elections brought a government of VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie to power, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
2017 elections
The parliamentary elections in March 2017 were won by the VVD, which had also claimed victory in the previous elections (2012). In comparison to 2012, the liberal party lost eight seats, but with 33 seats it remained the largest party in the House of Representatives by a considerable margin. Runner-up PVV won 20 seats, and D66 and CDA won 19 seats each. PvdA, VVD’s socialist partner in government between 2012 and 2017, was punished severely by its voters for participation in the Rutte II government, going from 38 seats to just nine.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Leading the country since 2010, Mark Rutte is currently in his third term as prime minister. Despite three successive wins at the polls during parliamentary elections, trust in Rutte is low. According to surveys by Dutch TV show EenVandaag, confidence levels in the prime minister did not rise above 43 percent between October 2017 and January 2019. Trust was lowest in April 2018, at just 28 percent.
2017 elections
The parliamentary elections in March 2017 were won by the VVD, which had also claimed victory in the previous elections (2012). In comparison to 2012, the liberal party lost eight seats, but with 33 seats it remained the largest party in the House of Representatives by a considerable margin. Runner-up PVV won 20 seats, and D66 and CDA won 19 seats each. PvdA, VVD’s socialist partner in government between 2012 and 2017, was punished severely by its voters for participation in the Rutte II government, going from 38 seats to just nine.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Leading the country since 2010, Mark Rutte is currently in his third term as prime minister. Despite three successive wins at the polls during parliamentary elections, trust in Rutte is low. According to surveys by Dutch TV show EenVandaag, confidence levels in the prime minister did not rise above 43 percent between October 2017 and January 2019. Trust was lowest in April 2018, at just 28 percent.
