Dutch Provincial Elections, 20 March 2019

Summary:

Reports, analyses and information on the provincial elections held in the Netherlands in March 2019.

Further information:

The provincial elections were held in the Netherlands on 20 March 2019, two month before the Dutch Senate election which will take place on 27 May 2019. The provincial elections are held every four years in the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. Eligible voters elect the members of the Provincial Councils (in 2019 the Provincial Councils consisted of 570 members). The members of the provincial councils elect the 75 members of the Senate. Votes cast to elect the members of the Senate do not all have the same value. The vote value of provincial council members depends on the number of inhabitants of the province represented.

The governing centre-right coalition lost its majority while the right-wing party Forum voor Democracy became the biggest party and will take 13 seats in the senate in May.

Commentary and Analysis

NLtimes, 22/03/2019: Nationalist voters mainly older white men; young people vote democrat and green https://nltimes.nl/2019/03/22/nationalist-voters-mainly-older-white-men-young-people-vote-democrat-green

Eurotopics, 09/04/2019: Netherlands: latest shift to the right in focus https://www.eurotopics.net/en/217020/netherlands-latest-shift-to-the-right-in-focus

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News

Dutchnews, 30/01/2017: Who can vote and for whom? How the Dutch electoral system works https://www.dutchnews.nl/features/2017/01/who-can-vote-and-for-whom-how-the-dutch-electoral-system-works/

Politico, 20/03/2019: Far-right populists score stunning win in Dutch provincial vote https://www.politico.eu/article/mark-rutte-to-lose-senate-majority-after-dutch-local-elections/

NOS [Dutch] 21/03/2019: Bekijk hier alle uitslagen van de Provinciale Statenverkiezingen https://nos.nl/artikel/2276806-bekijk-hier-alle-uitslagen-van-de-provinciale-statenverkiezingen.html

Dutchnews, 21/03/2019: Forum big winner in provincial elections, set to take 13 senate seats https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/03/forum-big-winner-in-provincial-elections-set-to-take-12-senate-seats/

Euronews, 21/03/2019: Eurosceptic populists make gains in Dutch provincial elections after Utrecht attack https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/21/eurosceptic-populists-make-gains-in-dutch-provincial-elections-after-utrecht-attack

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Official

Government Netherlands: Provincial councils https://www.government.nl/topics/provinces/provincial-councils

Kiesraad: Elections of the provincial council https://english.kiesraad.nl/elections/elections-of-the-provincial-council

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