Annual report 2013 Dutch Electoral Council
As can be read in the annual report of the Dutch Electoral Council, only redivision elections were held in 2013. The activities of the Council therefore focused on its second statutory task, namely making recommendations on legislative proposals in the area of electoral law and elections.
In 2013, the Council made a total of eight recommendations. These recommendations often concerned legislative proposals to amend the Electoral Act or Electoral Decree. The Electoral Council also made recommendations on the following proposals: draft Provisional Experiments Decree, draft Provisional Experiments Regulations and draft Advisory Referendum Decree. A recommendation on combined water authority elections with provincial council elections was made at the request of the Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment. Lastly, a recommendation on the Act approving and implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was made at the request of the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport.
Public-friendly Electoral Act
The Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations asked the Electoral Council to draw up a public-friendly Electoral Act. In response to this request, a new section called ‘Kieswet toegelicht’ (Electoral Act explained) was published on the website of the Electoral Council, containing a concise explanation of all articles of the Electoral Act (in Dutch).