Why do Dutch political parties often form coalition governments?

Dutch political parties frequently form coalition governments because the Netherlands utilizes a system of proportional representation for its parliamentary elections. Under this system, the threshold to secure a seat in the Second Chamber is very low—as little as 0.66 percent of the overall vote—which results in a large number of political parties and movements being represented in the parliament.1

Because this high level of fragmentation makes it rare for any single party to secure an outright majority, parties must negotiate and form coalition governments to command the necessary support to govern and pass legislation. These coalitions are often the result of extensive negotiations between multiple parties to build a stable governing majority.2