<item><hi format=bold>National holiday:</hi> Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
<item><hi format=bold>Constitution:</hi> 17 February 1983
<item><hi format=bold>Legal system:</hi> civil law system incorporating French penal theory; judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order rather than Acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
<item><hi format=bold>Suffrage:</hi> 18 years of age; universal
<item><hi format=bold>Executive branch:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>chief of state:</hi> Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER, Prince of Orange, son of Queen Beatrix (born 27 April 1967)
<item>• <hi format=ital>head of government:</hi> Prime Minister RUDOLPHUS (Ruud) F. M. LUBBERS (since 4 November 1982); Vice Prime Minister Willem (Wim) KOK (since 2 November 1989)—resigned after 3 May 1994 parliamentary elections; no new government has been formed to date
<item>• <hi format=ital>cabinet:</hi> Ministry of General Affairs; appointed by the prime minister
<item><hi format=bold>First Chamber (Eerste Kamer):</hi> elections last held on 9 June l991 (next to be held 9 June 1995); results—elected by the country's 12 provincial councils; seats—(75 total) percent of seats by party NA
<item><hi format=bold>Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer):</hi> elections last held on 3 May 1994 (next to be held in May 1999); results—PvdA 24.3%, CDA 22.3%, VVD 20.4%, D'66 16.5%, other 16.5%; seats—(150 total) PvdA 37, CDA 34, VVD 31, D'66 24, other 24
<item><hi format=bold>Judicial branch:</hi> Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)
<item><hi format=bold>Political parties and leaders:</hi> Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Elco BRINKMAN; Labor (PvdA), Wim KOK; Liberal (VVD), Frits BOLKESTEIN; Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans van MIERLO; a host of minor parties
<item><hi format=bold>Other political or pressure groups:</hi> large multinational firms; Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises; and Interchurch Peace Council (IKV)
<item><hi format=bold>Flag:</hi> three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer