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 Wim KOK
• 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 by direct popular vote to serve 4-year terms.

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

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Labour Party (PvdA)
  • Leader: Wim KOK
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 45
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 37
• Party: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)
  • Leader: Frits BOLKESTEIN
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 38
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 31
• Party: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA)
  • Leader: Jaap de HOOP SCHEFFER
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 29
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 34
• Party: Democrats '66 (D66)
  • Leader: Els BORST
  • Seats won in this Second Chamber election: 14
  • Seats won in last Second Chamber election: 24

Population and Registered Voters:

• Population: 15,707,209 (1998)
• Registered voters: 11,755,132 (1998)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 7,935,909 (1998)

·         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: 54 (Second Chamber) following the 1998 elections; 17 (First Chamber) following the 1995 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: 2,356,081 (est.)