Credentials committee

Based on the election results, the central electoral committee (the Electoral Council) declares persons as appointed members of the House of Representatives. The House itself decides on the admission of a newly appointed member. After the elections, the House in its old composition will decide on the matter. In case of an interim vacancy, the current House will decide. The House's decision is prepared by the Committee on the Examination of the Credentials, which carries out various activities to this end.

Examination

After elections for the House of Representatives and elections for the Dutch members of the European Parliament, the committee examines whether the elections were conducted properly and lawfully. The committee also examines whether there were any circumstances that could cast doubt on the accuracy of the election results established by the central electoral committee. To that end, the committee checks the official reports issued by all the approximately 10,000 polling stations.

Moreover, the committee examines whether the members declared appointed by the central electoral committee were rightly appointed and fulfil the conditions for admission as members of the House. To this end, the committee checks the credentials of the newly elected members and the information they are legally obliged to provide themselves.

Credentials

Based on the election results, the chairperson of the central electoral committee notifies elected members in writing of their appointment. The credentials also include the appointee's written notification to the House accepting their appointment.

Each newly elected member must provide the committee with a certified copy of an extract from the Municipal Personal Records Database, which shows that they have reached the required age, hold Dutch nationality and have not been barred from voting. They must also provide the committee with a personally signed declaration of all public positions they hold.

Report to the House

The chairperson of the Committee on the Examination of the Credentials reports on the examination of the credentials of the newly elected MPs in the last sitting of the House in its old composition. The House in its old composition then decides on the admission of the new members. In the next sitting, all newly elected and re-elected MPs are sworn in by the President of the House.