ABSTRACT
The Netherlands had one of the most stable party systems in Europe, with low volatility, predictable voting behavior, consensual politics and a Christian-democratic monopoly over cabinet formation. Over the last decades the Dutch party system became one of the most volatile systems in Europe as new parties entered the party system. Behind this pattern there is the rise of the new cultural dimension that concerns political debates over national identity. These changes have put the Dutch party system under pressure, forcing it to develop new ways to build majorities. Ironically, the experiments with minority government build further on the traditions of consensus politics.
