Artikel 64: dissolution of chambers
- Each of the Houses may be dissolved by Royal Decree.
- A decree for dissolution shall also require new elections to be held for the House which has been dissolved and the newly elected House to meet within three months.
- The dissolution shall take effect on the day on which the newly elected House meets.
- The duration of a Lower House that meets following a dissolution shall be determined by Act of Parliament; the term may not exceed five years. The duration of an Upper House that meets following a dissolution shall end at the time at which the duration of the dissolved House would have ended.
Explanation
Please note: Only the Dutch-language version of the Constitution has legal effect.
The government can dissolve both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the interim and organize new elections. Dissolution of the Senate is rare. It has only occurred in 1904. Elections must always be held following a dissolution.
The Constitution stipulates that the election of a new Chamber and the first meeting of the new Chamber must take place within three months of the dissolution. The fact that a Chamber is always available is guaranteed because the dissolution only takes effect on the day the newly elected Chamber meets for the first time.
For a House of Representatives elected after a dissolution, the term of office is laid down in a law. The term of office is then a maximum of five years. This allows regular elections to be held again at the desired time in March or May, more than four years from now, depending on whether municipal and/or provincial council elections are also held that year.
For a Senate elected after a dissolution, the term of office remains the same as that of the dissolved Senate, because the term of office of the Senate is linked to that of the Provincial Councils.