...The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with a two-tier parliament. The monarch and head of state is Queen Beatrix, who acceded to the throne in 1980. The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) emerged as the largest party from the November 2006 general election, and after protracted negotiations, it formed a centre-left coalition government on February 22nd 2007 with the Labour Party (PvdA) and a small Protestant religious party, the Christian Union (ChristenUnie). The government is led by the prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, who was the head of the previous government as well. The previous coalition, comprising the CDA, the right-wing People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberals, VVD) and Democrats 66 (D66) had been brought down by D66 in June 2006, after which a caretaker CDA-VVD government took over. The next election is due by December 2010. Pim Fortuyn enters the fray, but is assassinated. At the end of 2001 the political scene was transformed by the emergence of a maverick...
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