2023 Dutch general election

Early general elections were held in the Netherlands on 22 November 2023 to elect the members of the House of Representatives. The elections had been expected to be held in 2025, but a snap election was called after the fourth Rutte cabinet collapsed on 7 July 2023 due to disagreements on immigration policy between the coalition parties. The incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that he would not lead his party into the election and that he would retire from politics.

In what was described as "one of the biggest political upsets in Dutch politics since World War II", the right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, won 37 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, becoming the largest party for the first time. All four parties of the incumbent coalition government suffered losses.

After the election, a cabinet formation began to determine which parties would form the next government. Subsequently on 16 May 2024, a coalition agreement was settled upon by PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB. Immigration policy was heavily prioritised on the incoming government's agenda, as coalition representatives stated they would embrace the "strictest" asylum policy. Numerous reforms were also expected across areas such as welfare and health, as emphasised by NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt during the election campaign, similar to addressing issues having surfaced in the aftermath of the Dutch childcare benefits scandal. Several observers have described the new government as the most right-wing in recent history.

Following further negotiation amongst parties, Dick Schoof, an intelligence director, was then nominated for Prime Minister. Shortly afterwards, all participating parties agreed to the nomination. He then became Prime Minister in a new cabinet formation over a month later on 2 July after being formally appointed by the King.

The 2021 general elections resulted in the formation of the fourth Rutte cabinet, consisting of a coalition of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), Democrats 66 (D66), Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the Christian Union (CU). Mark Rutte, leader of VVD, continued in his role as prime minister.

After 2019, the government had the intention to limit the human impact on the nitrogen cycle. However, its nitrogen bill met resistance from several opposition parties, including the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB), which was founded in 2019 and entered the House of Representatives after winning one seat in the 2021 elections. Its popularity grew quickly, and the BBB emerged as the largest party in the 2023 provincial elections, which also saw heavy losses for the ruling coalition. As the provincial councils indirectly elect the Senate, it meant that the ruling coalition would face more difficulty passing legislation.

The government resigned on 7 July 2023 after the four parties failed to agree on a proposed limitation of family reunification for refugees fleeing armed conflict. The coalition government led by Mark Rutte collapsed ahead of the anticipated November elections due to irreconcilable disagreements on migration issues. The dispute arose from Rutte's proposal to tighten restrictions on the reunification of asylum seekers' families, aiming to reduce the number of migrants following a previous scandal involving overcrowded migration centers. CDA supported Rutte's proposal, while the opposition of CU and D66 led to a breakdown in negotiations. The parties decided unanimously that they could not remain together in the coalition. The king asked that the prime minister and his government continue to carry out their duties in a caretaker capacity. This could have been seen as a move by Rutte to keep migration on the center stage as his party was disunited on his nitrogen policies.

On 10 July 2023, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced he would not run again as lead candidate for the VVD, and would leave politics when a new cabinet was sworn in. Other party leaders and parliamentary leaders also announced they would not return, including Sigrid Kaag (D66), Wopke Hoekstra, Pieter Heerma (both CDA), Attje Kuiken (PvdA), Kees van der Staaij (SGP), Farid Azarkan (Denk), Liane den Haan (independent), Nilüfer Gündoğan (independent), and Sylvana Simons (BIJ1). Jesse Klaver announced that, although he wanted to continue as member of parliament, he would not be candidate for leader of the Labour Party–GroenLinks alliance. Additionally, Vera Bergkamp, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, did not stand for reelection.