The 2021 general election: what you need to know

Conceptual visualization of doubt when voting for elections
Photo: Depositphotos.com

The Netherlands goes to the polls to elect a new government on March 15, 16 and 17. Here’s a round-up of useful articles and resources, regularly updated.

Take part in the DutchNews.nl election
Even if you can’t vote officially, you can take part in the DN poll

The main Dutch political parties
A round-up of the Dutch parties taking part in the election which either will, or are very likely, to win a seat.

How the electoral system works
A quick guide to how the electoral system works in the Netherlands, and what happens after the votes have been counted.

Election watch news
The latest news stories from the campaign, collected in one section of the website.

DutchNews.nl election interviews
D66 – You can’t build windmills with racists and anti-Semites
GroenLinks – it’s time we were in government
CDA – solve refugee crisis by ending conflicts
ChristenUnie – coronavirus has shown how vulnerable we are
The Netherlands is creeping to the right
The youth vote – we talk to first time voters

Television debate reviews
Voters give party leaders food for thought in first television debate

The view from abroad
Matthew E Bergman, from the University of Vienna, has analysed what the main parties’ manifestos indicate about the country’s current electoral dynamics.

The Dutch Joe Biden
Ben Coates’ analysis of prime minister Mark Rutte’s performance

13 x three minutes
Broadcaster NOS has made 13 three-minute films, outlining the main policies of the big parties. (Dutch)

NRC Stemhulp
The paper has analysed the manifestos of 14 parties theme by theme. (Dutch)

Help with voting
Not sure who to vote for? The Stemwijzer and Kieskompas are two online voting tools, which ask questions to find out what you think, and then suggest which party to vote for. Dutch only.

Opinion polls
Listen to Tom Louwerse who produces the regular poll of polls (peilingwijzer) discuss the pros and cons of polling on our podcast, about 46 minutes in.

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