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 multinational firms; Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises; and Interchurch Peace Council or IKV
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,
Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB,
ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG,
OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Adriaan Pieter Roetert JACOBOVITS DE SZEGED chancery : 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300 FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission : Ambassador Kirk Terry DORNBUSH embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ The Hague mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715 telephone: [31] (70) 310-9209 FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688 consulate(s) general: Amsterdam
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer
Economy