A large part of the Dutch population believes that political decision-making in the Netherlands is too slow, there is too much regulation, red tape, bureaucracy and so on. But what does this political decision-making in the Netherlands actually entail? In this article we discuss what national government is and how the three powers are divided in most countries.
The national government
In order to govern a country well, the enlightened Frenchman Charles Montesquieu came up with the concept of the separation of powers, which was developed into the trias politica.
In most countries, the three powers (the trias politica) are divided as follows:
Legislative power: This power establishes the laws that citizens must adhere to . In the Netherlands, this task falls on the shoulders of the government (which consists of the ministers and the queen) and the parliament (which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives). It is often the case that a bill is submitted by a minister. Such a bill requires a long preparation by many civil servants. Parliament then decides whether the proposal will actually become law.
Executive branch: The executive branch must ensure that the approved laws are implemented exactly as intended and, first and foremost, that the implementation takes place anyway. The responsibility lies with the ministers who issue directives to their officials or to bodies that will implement the law.
Judiciary: This power examines and assesses whether laws are properly complied with. In this case, the power lies in the hands of judges. When someone breaks a law, they can punish that violator. Judges can also assess situations in which citizens have a conflict with each other.
The Senate and House of Representatives have numerous tasks and rights: First Chamber:
- Right of inquiry
House of Representatives:
- Right of amendment
- Right of initiative
- Budget law
- Right to Questions
- Right of interpellation
- Right of inquiry
The composition of the government
In the Netherlands, the government consists of the head of state and the ministers. Each minister is responsible for a specific policy area (his ministry). Policy intentions are discussed in the Council of Ministers, the joint meeting of the ministers. State secretaries can be appointed for certain parts of a minister’s duties. All ministers, together with the state secretaries, form the cabinet. Unlike the head of state, the cabinet must answer to the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The head of state
In the Netherlands we do not have an elected head of state, but a king or queen appointed by hereditary succession; the monarchy. The position, rights and tasks of the royal family are laid down in the constitution, which is also called a constitution. The Netherlands is therefore in fact a constitutional monarchy, but with a democratic system. The king or queen can give advice (in secret).
The duties of the king or queen:
- Reading the speech from the throne on Budget Day
- Placing his or her signature on all laws
- Appointing ministers and informateurs
- Regularly consulting with the Prime Minister about government policy
Cabinet formation
After the election results have been announced, an attempt is made to bring parties together to form a cabinet. The king or queen appoints an informateur if the parties have not come closer together. This will look for parties that could pursue a joint policy that has sufficient support in the House of Representatives.
The king or queen then appoints a formateur. This will shape the final cabinet.
Fall of the cabinet
When a law is proposed, the House of Representatives can always reject it, this is a right of the House of Representatives. If the minister or state secretary involved still wants to stick to this bill, the House of Representatives has the option to expel this person. This happens, for example, when the government attaches great importance to the bill, so much that it cannot avoid a fall. If the House of Representatives rejects the proposal, the entire cabinet will resign.
If the government falls, there are two possibilities:
- Elections are held to create a completely new House of Representatives
- A new formateur (or also an informateur) is appointed who investigates the possibilities for a new cabinet.