The Netherlands

In 2015, the Dutch Liberal-Labour cabinet that functioned effectively as a minority cabinet due to the absence of a majority in the upper house since its beginning in November 2012 faced a number of difficulties: the coalition lost seats in the upper house elections and three members of the government stepped down. The issue that caused the resignation of two of these also caused the speaker of the lower house to step down. Meanwhile, refugee policy – an issue that divided the two governing parties – came to the fore due to the European migrant crisis.