Netherlands Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Kingdom of the Netherlands

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capita): Amsterdam, but government resides at The Hague

Political subdivisions: 11 provinces and 4 special municipalities governed by centrally appointed commissioners of Queen

Legal system civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution of 1815 frequently amended, reissued 1947; judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order lather than Acts of Parliament legal education at six law schools; accepts compulsory 1CJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April

Branches: executive (Queen and Cabinet of Ministers), which is responsible to bicameral parliament (States General) consisting of a First Chamber (75 indirectly elected members) and a Second Chamber (150 directly elected members); independent judiciary; coalition governments are usual

Government leaders: BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard, Queen (since April 1980), Ruud LUBBERS, Prime Minister (since November 1982)

Suffrage: universal over age 18

Elections: must be held at least every four years for lower house (next scheduled for 21 May 1986); following an amendment to the constitution that took effect in 1983, elections are held for the upper house every four years (most recent August 1983)

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Chairman Pieter Bukman; Labor (PvdA), Max van den Berg; Liberal (VVD), Jan Kamminga; Democrats

66 (D’66), Jacob Kohnstamm; Communist (CPN), Henk Hoekstra; Pacifist Socialist (PSP), Bram van der Lek; Political Reformed (SGP), Hette G. Abma, Reformed Political Union (GPV), Jan van der Jagt, Radical Party (PPR), Herman Verbeek; Democratic Socialist 7O(DS’7O), Z Hartog, Rightist Peoples Party (RVP), Hendrik Kpekoek; Reformed Political Federation (RPF), P. Lamgeler; Center Party (CP), H. Janmatt; Evangelical People’s Party (EVP), J. Renes

Voting strength: (1982 election) 30.8% PvdA (47 seats), 29.3% CDA 05 seats), 23% VVD (36 seats), 4.3% D’66 (6 seats), 2.3% PSP (3 seats), 1.9% SGP y3 seats), 1 8% CPN (3 seats), 1.7% PPR (2 seats!, 1.3% RDF (2 seats), 0 8% GPF (1 seat), 0.8% CP (1 seat); 0.7% EVP (1 seat'; two members of the CDA were expelled from the party in 1984 and are now serving as inde pendents

Communists: CPN claims about 27,000 members

Other political or pressure groups: large multinational firms; Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enter prises; and IKV—Interchurch Peace Council

Member of: ADR, Benelux, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE, EIB, ELDO, EMS, ESCAP, ESRO. FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, 1CAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB- -InterAmerican Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INRO, INTELSAT, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, 1TC, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council (with respect to interests of the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname), NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

NOTE: The information regarding Netherlands on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Netherlands 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Netherlands 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.