Dutch general election, 2006

Dutch general election, 2006

← 2003 22 November 2006 2010 →
Turnout	80.4%
Party Leader % Seats ± CDA Jan Peter Balkenende 26.5% 41 -3 PvdA Wouter Bos 21.2% 33 -9 SP Jan Marijnissen 16.6% 25 +16 VVD Mark Rutte 14.7% 22 -6 PVV Geert Wilders 5.9% 9 New GL Femke Halsema 4.6% 7 -1 CU André Rouvoet 4.0% 6 +3 D66 Alexander Pechtold 2.0% 3 -3 PvdD Marianne Thieme 2.0% 2 +2 SGP Bas van der Vlies 1.6% 2 0 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Strongest political party by municipality
Prime Minister before Prime Minister after Jan Peter Balkenende CDA Jan Peter Balkenende CDA

General elections were held in the Netherlands on 22 November 2006 following the fall of the Second Balkenende cabinet. The elections proved relatively successful for the governing Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) which remained the largest party with 41 seats, a loss of only three seats. The largest increase in seats was for the Socialist Party (SP), which went from nine to 25 seats. The main opposition party, the social-democratic Labour Party (PvdA) lost nine of its 42 seats, while the right-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the progressive liberal Democrats 66 lost a considerable portion of their seats, six of 28 and three of six, respectively. New parties, such as the right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) of former VVD MP Geert Wilders and the animal rights party Party for the Animals (PvdD) were also successful, with the PVV winning nine seats and the PvdD winning two, thereby becoming the first animal rights group to enter a European parliament.

For the breakdown of seats in House of Representatives since the 2006 General Elections, please refer to the List of members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands (2006-2010).

The formation talks led to the installation of the Christian-social fourth Balkenende cabinet, composed of CDA, PvdA and ChristianUnion on 22 February 2007.

In the month before the fall of the cabinet two parties held internal elections on who would lead their parties in the next elections, which were scheduled for 2007. In the internal election of the conservative liberal VVD the more liberal secretary of state for science and higher education Mark Rutte beat the more conservative minister without portfolio for immigration and integration Rita Verdonk. In the internal election of the progressive liberal D66 the more radical democratic minister without portfolio for government reform Alexander Pechtold beat the more social-liberal chair of the parliamentary party Lousewies van der Laan.