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2026 Dutch municipal elections

2026 Dutch municipal elections
18 March 2026

Municipal elections will be held on 18 March 2026 in 333 municipalities in the Netherlands. This election will determine the composition of the municipal councils for the following four years.[1]

No elections due to reorganization

In the following municipalities, no regular municipal council elections will be held on March 18, 2026 because they have recently been involved in a reorganization operation:[2]

  • Reorganization as of January 1, 2027

In the municipalities of Hilversum and Wijdemeren, redistricting elections will be held on 18 November 2026 , if the parliamentary procedure regarding the merger bill is completed in time in 2026.[3][4]

No elections due to status as a public body

The public bodies of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius (Caribbean Netherlands) have many tasks that are performed by municipalities in the rest of the Netherlands. However, the island council elections for these public bodies will take place simultaneously with the Provincial Council elections, which will be held for the first time in 2027.

Ballot paper size

During the 2026 municipal elections, at least eleven municipalities will be experimenting with a smaller ballot paper (A3 format). These are Alphen aan den Rijn, Boekel, Gouda, 's-Hertogenbosch, Leiden, Meierijstad, Midden-Delfland, Nijmegen, Noordoostpolder, Soest and Tynaarlo.[5]

The municipality of Borne previously participated in the experiment, but decided not to participate in these elections due to concerns about the number of invalid votes and the reduced recognizability of candidates.

Both the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the Electoral Council remain positive about the experiment, which should contribute to a simpler and faster voting and counting process.[6][7]

Timetable

Timetable[8]
Date Action
22 December 2025 Last day of registration of political party designations
2 February 2026 Nomination Day
18 March 2026 Voting Day
After voting day Announcement of the official result

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.binnenlandsbestuur.nl/bestuur-en-organisatie/groter-experiment-nieuw-stembiljet-voor-landelijke-uitrol
  2. ^ Wet algemene regels herindeling, artikel 56e.
  3. ^ Wet algemene regels herindeling, artikel 56e.
  4. ^ Wetsvoorstel herindeling gemeenten Hilversum en Wijdemeren naar Tweede Kamer rijksoverheid.nl, 21 November 2025
  5. ^ NOS
  6. ^ 5 gemeenten stemmen met een kleiner en handzamer stembiljet tijdens de Europees Parlementsverkiezing, rijksoverheid.nl, 11 maart 2024
  7. ^ Nog geen nieuw stembiljet in 2026, Binnenlands Bestuur, 19 november 2024
  8. ^ NOS
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