Senate (Netherlands) in the context of "House of Representatives (Netherlands)"

The States General of the Netherlands (Dutch: Staten-Generaal [ˈstaːtə(ŋ)‿ɣenəˈraːl] ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate (Dutch: Eerste Kamer) and the House of Representatives (Dutch: Tweede Kamer). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague.

The States General originated in the 15th century as an assembly of all the provincial states of the Burgundian Netherlands. In 1579, during the Dutch Revolt, the States General split as the northern provinces openly rebelled against Philip II, and the northern States General replaced Philip II as the supreme authority of the Dutch Republic in 1581. The States General were replaced by the National Assembly after the Batavian Revolution of 1795, only to be restored in 1814, when the country had regained its sovereignty. The States General was divided into a Senate and a House of Representatives in 1815, with the establishment of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. After the constitutional amendment of 1848, members of the House of Representatives were directly elected, and the rights of the States General were vastly extended, practically establishing parliamentary democracy in the Netherlands.

Maximilianus "Max" van der Stoel (Dutch pronunciation: [mɑks(imiliˈjaːnʏs) fɑn dər ˈstul]; 3 August 1924 – 23 April 2011) was a Dutch politician and diplomat, member of the Labour Party (PvdA) and activist who served as High Commissioner on National Minorities of the OSCE from 1 January 1993 until 1 July 2001.

Van der Stoel studied Law at the Leiden University obtaining a Master of Laws degree followed by a postgraduate education in Sociology at his alma mater obtaining a Master of Social Science degree. Van der Stoel worked as a researcher at the Wiardi Beckman Foundation from April 1953 until August 1958 and for the Labour Party party board from June 1958 until July 1965. After the Senate election of 1960 Van der Stoel was elected as a Member of the Senate on 27 September 1960 serving as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. After the election of 1963 Van der Stoel was elected as a member of the House of Representatives on 5 June 1963 and served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. Van der Stoel was appointed as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Cals taking office on 22 July 1965. The Cabinet Cals fell just one year into its term after the Night of Schmelzer and was replaced on 22 November 1966. After the election of 1967 Van der Stoel returned to the House of House of Representatives on 23 February 1967 and again served as a frontbencher and spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. After the election of 1972 Van der Stoel was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Den Uyl, taking office on 11 May 1973. The Cabinet Den Uyl fell just before the end of its term. After the election of 1977 Van der Stoel returned to the House of Representatives serving from 8 June 1977 until 8 September 1977 and again from 16 January 1978 serving as a frontbencher chairing the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and spokesperson for European Affairs. After the election of 1981 Van der Stoel was appointed again as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet Van Agt II taking office on 11 September 1981. The Cabinet Van Agt II fell just seven months into its term and was replaced with the caretaker Cabinet Van Agt III on 29 May 1982. Shortly thereafter Van der Stoel announced that he wouldn't stand for the election of 1982.

The House of Representatives (Dutch: Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal [ˈtʋeːdə ˈkaːmər dɛr ˈstaːtə(ŋ) ɣeːnəˈraːl] , literally "Second Chamber of the States General", or simply the Tweede Kamer) is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, the States General, the other one being the Senate. It has 150 seats, which are filled through elections using party-list proportional representation. The house is located in the Binnenhof in The Hague; it has temporarily moved to the former building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Bezuidenhoutseweg 67 in The Hague while the Binnenhof is being renovated.

The historic composition of the Senate gives an overview of the composition of the upper house of the Dutch parliament (Dutch: Eerste Kamer, "First Chamber"). It shows the composition after the indirect elections by the provincial councils.

* Since 1956 the Senate has had 75 seats.

The electoral colleges for the Senate (Dutch: kiescolleges voor de Eerste Kamer; Papiamentu: kolegionan elektoral pa Eerste Kamer) are the electoral colleges of the Caribbean Netherlands and Dutch expatriates. Their members together with the members of the provincial councils in the European Netherlands choose the Senators of the Dutch Senate.

The first electoral college elections (then only in the Caribbean Netherlands) were held on 20 March 2019, simultaneously with the island council elections, and the European Netherlands' provincial elections and water board elections. On 27 May 2019, the colleges cast their votes for the Senate election.

Elections in the Netherlands are held for five territorial levels of government: the European Union, the state, the twelve provinces, the 21 water boards and the 342 municipalities (and the three public bodies in the Caribbean Netherlands). Apart from elections, referendums were also held occasionally, but were removed from the law in 2018.

At the national level, legislative power is vested in the States General, which is bicameral. The House of Representatives has 150 members elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. Elections are also called after a dissolution of the House of Representatives. All elections are direct, except for the Senate, which has 75 members elected for a four-year term by provincial councillors on the basis of proportional representation at the provincial elections.