f government

Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincien, singular -
provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen,
Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland,
Zuid-Holland

Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Independence: 1579 (from Spain)

National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

Constitution: 17 February 1983

Legal system: civil law system incorporating French penal theory;
judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order
rather than Acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state : Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April
1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), Prince of
Orange, son of Queen BEATRIX
head of government: Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 22 August 1994) and
Vice Prime Ministers Hans DIJKSTAL (since 22 August 1994) and Hans VAN
MIERLO (since 22 August 1994)
cabinet : Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections: none; the queen is a constitutional monarch; following
Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader
of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the
queen; vice prime ministers appointed by the queen

Legislative branch: bicameral States General or Staten Generaal
consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members
indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for
four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats;
members directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: First Chamber - last held 9 June 1995 (next to be held 9
June 1999); Second Chamber - last held 3 May 1994 (next to be held in
1998)
election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA; seats
by party - NA; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - PvdA 24.3%,
CDA 22.3%, VVD 20.4%, D'66 16.5%, other 16.5%; seats by party - PvdA
37, CDA 34, VVD 31, D'66 24, other 24

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or De Hoge Raad, justices are nominated
for life by the crown from a list compiled by the Second Chamber of
the States General

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA
[Hans HELGERS]; Labor or PvdA [Wim KOK]; Liberal or VVD [Frits
BOLKESTEIN]; Democrats '66 or D'66 [Hans VAN MIERLO]; a host of minor
parties

Political pressure groups and leaders: large