Senate's role in the Netherlands is too political
image: Alireza Parpaei on Unsplash
The purpose of the Senate in the Netherlands is to review draft legislation. Wim Voermans, Professor of Constitutional Law, says on NPO Radio1 that the role of the Senate has become too political.
Professor Voermans is critical of this development, saying ‘this can’t be what was intended’. As a result, the Senate has increasingly more influence on major legislative bills than originally intended and can even veto proposals.
Voermans does not envisage the Senate being abolished any time soon. The professor proposes merging the Senate and the House of Representatives in line with the Scandinavian model. There would then be 225 seats in parliament instead of the current 150. The division would be 75 regional candidates and 150 seats filled via national elections. This would also make for a more representative lower house, more in line with the population of the Netherlands in terms of size. The oversight role of the Dutch Council of State, which Professor Voermans believes is carried out effectively at present, makes the Senate redundant. He also believes that in its current set-up, the Senate does not have sufficient legal experts to review legislation properly.