With the votes counted and speculation beginning about which parties can form a workable coalition, the actual process of forming a new government can begin.

With a majority government requiring t least 76 of the 150 seats in parliament, forming a coalition can be a tricky business. It is a process which takes months. The longest cabinet formation took 208 days, the shortest just 10.
While the coalition talks are ongoing, the new MPs take their seats and the former cabinet remains in office on a decommissioned basis – meaning it minds the shop and does not take controverisal decisions.
On Thursday and Friday, Queen Beatrix will consult the party leaders, her own advisors and other senior politicians and appoint an informateur – the person charged with putting together a tentative coalition. The informateur sounds out the party leaders about potential coalitions and reports back to the queen.
Once a potential coalition has been identified, the queen names a formateur.
The formateur (usually the next prime minister) does the nitty gritty job of putting together a coalition agreement, or regeerakkord, in which the broad lines of new government policy are set down.
Sitting MPs and ministers who are out of a job following the election are entitled to generous unemployment benefit packages. MPs are entitled to 80% of their salary of €86,125.55 for the first year and 70% for up to a maximum of six years. If they find a new job, they are still entitled to a top-up if they earn less money.