Editing Politics of the Netherlands (section)

===States General===
{{Main|States General of the Netherlands}}
[[File:Verenigde Vergadering bijeen in Ridderzaal (11192673163).jpg|thumb|Joint session of the States General in the [[Ridderzaal]], 2013]]
The Dutch Parliament, officially known as the States General of the Netherlands, consists of a [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]] (''Tweede Kamer'') and a [[Senate (Netherlands)|Senate]] (''Eerste Kamer''). Both chambers are housed in the [[Binnenhof]] in [[The Hague]] and discuss proposed legislation and review the actions of the cabinet. Only the House of Representatives has the right to propose or amend legislation while the Senate discusses its value regarding the Dutch law since the Netherlands has no constitutional court. Currently there are 150 members of the House of Representatives and 75 Senators.

Members of the House are elected directly every four years using [[party-list proportional representation]]. Representatives are chosen on personal title, so when a member no longer agrees with his or her party, the member can decide to stay in the chamber, either as an independent representative, or as a member of another parliamentary party. If a member decides to resign, the empty seat falls to the original party collecting the votes, and is offered to the highest placed candidate on the party's electoral list who was not elected. Coalition governments may fall before their term expires, which usually results in early dissolution of the House and new elections.

Members of the Senate are elected indirectly by provincial councilors, again every four years, just after the elections of the provincial councils, via a system of [[proportional representation]]. Nowadays, the Senate is mainly considered to be a body of elder statesmen reconsidering legislation at ease, away from the pressure of daily political and media hypes. The position of senator is a part-time job as the institution meets once a week.