Editing Amsterdam (section)

==Politics==
{{Main|Government of Amsterdam}}
[[File:Femke Halsema 2.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Femke Halsema]] has been the [[List of mayors of Amsterdam|Mayor of Amsterdam]] since 2018.]] 
The city of Amsterdam is a [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] under the Dutch Municipalities Act. It is governed by a directly elected [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|municipal council]], a [[municipal executive]], and a [[Burgemeester|mayor]]. Since 1981, the [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] of Amsterdam has gradually been divided into semi-autonomous [[Boroughs of Amsterdam|boroughs]], called ''stadsdelen'' or 'districts'. Over time, a total of 15 boroughs were created. In May 2010, under a major reform, the number of [[Boroughs of Amsterdam|Amsterdam boroughs]] was reduced to eight: [[Amsterdam-Centrum]] covering the city centre including the [[Canals of Amsterdam|canal belt]], [[Amsterdam-Noord]] consisting of the neighbourhoods north of the [[IJ (Amsterdam)|IJ lake]], [[Amsterdam-Oost]] in the east, [[Amsterdam-Zuid]] in the south, [[Amsterdam-West]] in the west, [[Amsterdam Nieuw-West]] in the far west, [[Amsterdam Zuidoost]] in the southeast, and [[Westpoort (Amsterdam)|Westpoort]] covering the [[Port of Amsterdam]] area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amsterdam City Districts |url=http://www.iamsterdam.com/en-GB/living/about-amsterdam/amsterdam-city-districts |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820014532/http://www.iamsterdam.com/en-GB/living/about-amsterdam/amsterdam-city-districts |archive-date=20 August 2014 |access-date=12 August 2014 |publisher=Iamsterdam.com}}</ref>

===City government===
{{Main|Boroughs of Amsterdam|Municipal council (Netherlands)}}
As with all Dutch municipalities, Amsterdam is governed by a directly elected [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|municipal council]], a [[municipal executive]] and a government appointed<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maria Smith |date=15 February 2018 |title=Electing a mayor in the Netherlands |url=https://dutchreview.com/news/politics/electing-a-mayor-in-the-netherlands |access-date=15 February 2018 |publisher=DutchReview.com}}</ref> [[Burgemeester|mayor]] (''burgemeester''). The mayor is a member of the municipal executive board but also has individual responsibilities in maintaining public order. On 27 June 2018, [[Femke Halsema]] (former member of [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]] for [[GroenLinks]] from 1998 to 2011) was appointed as the first woman to be [[List of mayors of Amsterdam|Mayor of Amsterdam]] by the [[King's Commissioner]] of [[North Holland]] for a six-year term after being nominated by the Amsterdam [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|municipal council]] and began serving a six-year term on 12 July 2018. She replaces [[Eberhard van der Laan]] ([[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]]) who was the Mayor of Amsterdam from 2010 until his death in October 2017. After the [[Dutch municipal elections, 2014|2014 municipal council elections]], a governing majority of [[Democrats 66|D66]], [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy|VVD]] and [[Socialist Party (Netherlands)|SP]] was formed – the first coalition without the [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] since [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Britt Slegers |date=12 June 2014 |title=Three-party coalition in Amsterdam |url=http://www.nltimes.nl/2014/06/12/three-party-coalition-amsterdam-pvda/ |access-date=13 August 2014 |website=NL Times}}</ref> Next to the [[Burgemeester|Mayor]], the [[municipal executive]] consists of eight ''wethouders'' ('alderpersons') appointed by the [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|municipal council]]: four D66 alderpersons, two VVD alderpersons and two [[Socialist Party (Netherlands)|SP]] alderpersons.<ref>{{Cite web |title=College van burgemeester en wethouders |url=http://www.amsterdam.nl/gemeente/college/ |access-date=13 August 2014 |publisher=City of Amsterdam |language=nl}}</ref>

On 18 September 2017, it was announced by [[Eberhard van der Laan]] in an open letter to Amsterdam citizens that [[Kajsa Ollongren]] would take up his office as acting Mayor of Amsterdam with immediate effect due to ill health.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2193622-zieke-amsterdamse-burgemeester-van-der-laan-legt-werk-neer.html/ |title='Zorg goed voor onze stad en voor elkaar' |work=nos.nl |date=18 September 2017 |access-date=27 June 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627215652/https://nos.nl/artikel/2193622-zieke-amsterdamse-burgemeester-van-der-laan-legt-werk-neer.html}}</ref> Ollongren was succeeded as acting Mayor by Eric van der Burg on 26 October 2017 and by [[Jozias van Aartsen]] on 4 December 2017.

[[File:Amsterdamse stadsdelen 2010.png|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Boroughs of Amsterdam]] until 24 March 2022]]
Unlike most other Dutch municipalities, Amsterdam is subdivided into seven [[Boroughs of Amsterdam|boroughs]], called ''stadsdelen'' or 'districts', and the urban area of [[Weesp]].<ref name="stadsdelen">{{cite web|url=https://www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/organisatie/stadsdelen/|title=Stadsdelen|publisher=Gemeente Amsterdam|accessdate=20 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327135843/https://www.amsterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/organisatie/stadsdelen/ |archive-date=27 March 2023}}</ref> This system was gradually implemented in the 1980s to improve local governance. The boroughs are responsible for many activities that had previously been run by the central city. In 2010, the number of [[Boroughs of Amsterdam|Amsterdam boroughs]] reached fifteen. Fourteen of those had their own district council (''deelraad''), elected by a popular vote. The fifteenth, [[Westpoort]], covers the harbour of Amsterdam and has very few residents. Therefore, it was governed by the central municipal council.

Under the borough system, municipal decisions are made at the borough level, except for those affairs on the whole city such as major infrastructure projects, which are the jurisdiction of the central municipal authorities. In 2010, the [[Boroughs of Amsterdam|borough]] system was restructured, in which many smaller boroughs merged into larger boroughs. In 2014, under a reform of the Dutch Municipalities Act, the [[Boroughs of Amsterdam|Amsterdam boroughs]] lost much of their autonomous status, as their district councils were abolished.

The municipal council of Amsterdam voted to maintain the borough system by replacing the district councils with smaller, but still directly elected district committees (''bestuurscommissies''). Under a municipal ordinance, the new district committees were granted responsibilities through the delegation of regulatory and executive powers by the central municipal council.
[[File:Amsterdam Amstel.jpg|thumb|800px|center|{{center|View of the [[Stopera]] (left), behind the [[Blauwbrug]] (blue bridge), where the Amsterdam city hall and opera house are located, and the [[H'ART Museum]] (right) on the [[Amstel]]}}]]

===Metropolitan area===
[[File:Police Headquarters, Amsterdam.jpg|thumb|Police headquarters of Amsterdam]]
"Amsterdam" is usually understood to refer to the [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] of Amsterdam. Colloquially, some areas within the municipality, such as the town of [[Durgerdam]], may not be considered part of Amsterdam.

[[Statistics Netherlands]] uses three other definitions of Amsterdam: metropolitan agglomeration Amsterdam (''Grootstedelijke Agglomeratie Amsterdam'', not to be confused with ''Grootstedelijk Gebied Amsterdam'', a synonym of ''Groot Amsterdam''), Greater Amsterdam (''Groot Amsterdam'', a [[COROP]] region) and the urban region Amsterdam (''Stadsgewest Amsterdam'').<ref name="auto"/> The Amsterdam Department for Research and Statistics uses a fourth conurbation, namely the ''Stadsregio Amsterdam'' ('City Region of Amsterdam'). The city region is similar to Greater Amsterdam but includes the municipalities of [[Zaanstad]] and [[Wormerland]].

The smallest of these areas is the [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] of Amsterdam with a population of about 870,000 in 2021.<ref name="cbs2021">{{Cite web|url=https://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/en/dataset/37259eng/table?ts=1679876639000|title=CBS Statline|website=opendata.cbs.nl}}</ref> The larger conurbation had a population of over one million. It includes the municipalities of Zaanstad, Wormerland, Oostzaan, Diemen, and Amstelveen only, as well as the municipality of Amsterdam. Greater Amsterdam includes 15 municipalities and had a population of 1,400,000 in 2021.<ref name="cbs2021" /> Though much larger in area, the population of this area is only slightly larger, because the definition excludes the relatively populous municipality of [[Zaanstad]]. The largest area by population, the [[Amsterdam Metropolitan Area]] (Dutch: Metropoolregio Amsterdam), has a population of 2,33&nbsp;million.<ref name="dosamsterdam">{{Cite web |title=Dienst onderzoek & statistiek Amsterdam |url=http://www.os.amsterdam.nl/tabel/8187/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614030427/http://www.os.amsterdam.nl/tabel/8187/ |archive-date=14 June 2013}}</ref> It includes for instance Zaanstad, Wormerland, Muiden, Abcoude, Haarlem, Almere and Lelystad but excludes [[Graft-De Rijp]]. Amsterdam is part of the conglomerate metropolitan area [[Randstad]], with a total population of 6,659,300 inhabitants.<ref name="randstad">{{Cite web |date=October 2008 |title=Population |url=http://www.os.amsterdam.nl/tabel/2008_mutatiestatistiek_stand.xls |access-date=8 March 2009 |website=Themes |publisher=City of Amsterdam |format=in Dutch}}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Of these various metropolitan area configurations, only the ''Stadsregio Amsterdam'' (City Region of Amsterdam) has a formal governmental status. Its responsibilities include regional spatial planning and metropolitan public transport concessions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stadsregio Amsterdam: English Information |url=http://www.stadsregioamsterdam.nl/algemene-onderdelen/english-information/ |access-date=12 August 2014 |publisher=Stadsregio Amsterdam}}</ref>

===National capital===
{{main|Capital of the Netherlands}}
[[File:King Willem-Alexander, Princess Beatrix en Queen Maxima.jpg|thumb|[[Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands|King Willem-Alexander]], [[Beatrix of the Netherlands|Princess Beatrix]], and [[Queen Máxima of the Netherlands|Queen Máxima]] greeting Amsterdammers from the [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam]] during Willem-Alexanders inauguration in 2013]]
Under the [[Constitution of the Netherlands|Dutch Constitution]], Amsterdam is the [[capital of the Netherlands]]. Since the 1983 constitutional revision, the constitution mentions "Amsterdam" and "capital" in chapter 2, article 32: The king's confirmation by oath and his coronation take place in "the capital Amsterdam" ("''de hoofdstad Amsterdam''").<ref name="capital-constitution">{{Cite web |last=Dutch Wikisource |title=Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden |trans-title=Constitution for the Kingdom of the Netherlands |url=http://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Grondwet_voor_het_Koninkrijk_der_Nederlanden |access-date=3 July 2013 |at=[http://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Nederlandse_grondwet/Hoofdstuk_2#Artikel_32 Chapter 2, Article 32] |language=nl |quote=... de hoofdstad Amsterdam ...}}</ref> Previous versions of the constitution only mentioned "the city of Amsterdam" ("''de stad Amsterdam''").<ref>{{Cite web |title=Previous versions of the constitution |url=http://nl.wikisource.org/wiki/Nederlandse_grondwet |access-date=10 October 2010 |publisher=Nl.wikisource.org |language=nl}}</ref> For a royal investiture, therefore, the [[States General of the Netherlands]] (the Dutch Parliament) meets for a ceremonial joint session in Amsterdam. The ceremony traditionally takes place at the [[Nieuwe Kerk (Amsterdam)|Nieuwe Kerk]] on [[Dam Square]], immediately after the former monarch has signed the act of abdication at the nearby [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam]]. Normally, however, the Parliament sits in [[The Hague]], the city which has historically been the seat of the [[Politics of the Netherlands|Dutch government]], the [[Monarchy of the Netherlands|Dutch monarchy]], and the [[Supreme Court of the Netherlands|Dutch supreme court]]. Foreign embassies are also located in The Hague.

===Symbols===
{{Main|Coat of arms of Amsterdam|Flag of Amsterdam}}
The coat of arms of Amsterdam is composed of several historical elements. First and centre are three [[Saltire|St Andrew's crosses]], aligned in a vertical band on the city's shield (although Amsterdam's [[patron saint]] was [[Saint Nicholas]]). These St Andrew's crosses can also be found on the city shields of neighbours [[Amstelveen]] and [[Ouder-Amstel]]. This part of the coat of arms is the basis of the [[flag of Amsterdam]], flown by the city government, but also as [[civil ensign]] for ships registered in Amsterdam. Second is the [[Imperial Crown of Austria]]. In 1489, out of gratitude for services and loans, [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Maximilian I]] awarded Amsterdam the right to adorn its coat of arms with the [[King of the Romans|king]]'s crown. Then, in 1508, this was replaced with Maximilian's [[imperial crown]] when he was crowned [[Holy Roman Emperor]]. In the early years of the 17th century, Maximilian's crown in Amsterdam's coat of arms was again replaced, this time with the crown of [[Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Rudolph II]], a crown that became the Imperial [[Austrian Crown Jewels|Crown of Austria]]. The lions date from the late 16th century, when the city and province became part of the [[Dutch Republic|Republic of the Seven United Netherlands]]. Last came the city's official motto: ''Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig'' ("Heroic, Determined, Merciful"), bestowed on the city in 1947 by [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|Queen Wilhelmina]], in recognition of the city's bravery during the Second World War.