Scouts, informateurs and formateurs facilitate specific phases in a Dutch cabinet formation. Since 2012, the scout explores the possibilities for a coalition government in the scouting phase, which can later be done again by an informateur. Since 1951, the main responsibility of an informateur is facilitating the negotiations between political parties in the information phase. The formateur was until 1951 responsible for the entire formation, but its role has been limited since 1982 to finding the ministers and state secretaries of the cabinet in the formation phase. The roles are often filled by members of the largest party in the House of Representatives.
Historical development The roles have changed throughout the years. The role of formateur has existed since the first cabinet formation in 1848. Formateurs were in general responsible for the entire formation, simply being instructed to form a cabinet. The (final) formateur is often the intended prime minister. However, some formateurs were instructed to do preliminary work (exploring coalition options and/or facilitating negotiations).
In 1951, a separate role was created for the preliminary work: the informateur. Since that year, there has not been a formation without an informateur, although this has been attempted five times. Since 1989, the initial informateur is tasked with exploring the possibilities for a coalition. The first exploratory round became the responsibility of a separate role, the scout, in 2012. Since that year, the monarch no longer has a role in the formation and thus no longer does the consultations at the start of the formation. The (in)formateurs and scouts have since then been appointed by the House of Representatives.
List +List of Dutch formateurs, informateurs and scouts Name Starting date Days Role Political affiliation Formation 23 March 1848 1 Formateur liberal 1848 20 September 1849 37 Formateur conservative 1849 liberal 27 October 1849 3 Formateur liberal liberal 16 April 1853 3 Formateur liberal 1853 1 June 1856 30 Formateur anti-revolutionary 1856 3 March 1858 16 Formateur conservative 1858 17 February 1860 4 Formateur liberal 1860 21 February 1860 3 Formateur conservative 16 February 1861 24 Formateur conservative 1861 conservative 12 March 1861 3 Formateur anti-revolutionary 18 January 1862 13 Formateur liberal 1861–1862 29 January 1866 7 Formateur liberal Jan–Feb 1866 24 May 1866 7 Formateur anti-revolutionary May–Jun 1866 17 April 1868 2 Formateur anti-revolutionary 1868 29 April 1868 4 Formateur conservative 4 May 1868 5 Formateur conservative 17 May 1868 5 Formateur anti-revolutionary 23 May 1868 11 Formateur liberal 24 November 1870 5 Formateur liberal 1870–1871 liberal 1 December 1870 33 Formateur liberal 25 June 1872 10 Formateur liberal 1872 14 July 1874 43 Formateur liberal 1874 16 October 1877 17 Formateur liberal 1877 24 July 1879 9 Formateur conservative 1879 12 July 1879 11 Formateur conservative liberal liberal 8 August 1882 5 Formateur conservative 1882 31 July 1882 9 Formateur liberal 3 July 1882 5 Formateur conservative 4 March 1883 9 Formateur liberal 1883 12 March 1883 7 Formateur liberal 19 March 1883 5 Formateur liberal 29 March 1883 23 Formateur liberal 30 March 1888 20 Formateur ARP 1888 26 July 1891 22 Formateur liberal 1891 4 May 1894 4 Formateur liberal 1894 13 July 1897 10 Formateur LU 1897 11 July 1901 15 Formateur ARP 1901 14 July 1905 34 Formateur LU 1905 27 February 1907 3 Formateur CHP 1907 17 March 1907 5 Formateur liberal 16 January 1908 27 Formateur ARP 1907–1908 11 July 1913 15 Formateur VDB 1913 2 August 1913 27 Formateur liberal 13 July 1918 38 Formateur RKSP 1918 29 August 1918 9 Formateur RKSP 22 June 1921 35 Formateur RKSP 1921 19 July 1922 4 Formateur CHU 1922 22 July 1922 49 Formateur RKSP 15 November 1923 10 Formateur RKSP 1923-1924 24 November 1923 12 Formateur CHU 4 January 1924 3 Formateur liberal 15 July 1925 18 Formateur ARP 1925 24 November 1925 8 Formateur VDB 1925-1926 8 December 1925 4 Formateur CHU 12 December 1925 42 Formateur CHU 23 January 1926 35 Formateur VDB 1 March 1926 4 Formateur CHU 12 July 1929 18 Formateur RKSP 1929 3 August 1929 7 Formateur 2 May 1933 15 Formateur ARP 1933 16 May 1933 11 Formateur 26 July 1935 2 Formateur RKSP 1935 29 July 1935 2 Formateur ARP 30 May 1937 25 Formateur ARP 1937 30 June 1939 10 Formateur ARP Jun–Jul 1939 9 July 1939 6 Formateur RKSP 14 July 1939 12 Formateur ARP 4 August 1939 6 Formateur CHU Aug 1939 28 August 1940 3 Formateur ARP 1940 1 July 1941 26 Formateur ARP 1941 8 February 1945 15 Formateur ARP Feb 1945 28 May 1945 27 Formateur SDAP May–Jun 1945 VDB 27 May 1946 36 Formateur KVP 1946 13 July 1948 10 Formateur KVP 1948 22 July 1948 8 Formateur 30 July 1948 8 Formateur KVP 28 January 1951 5 Informateur VVD 1951 1 February 1951 16 Formateur PvdA KVP 18 February 1951 7 Formateur KVP 13 March 1951 2 Formateur KVP 27 February 1951 15 Informateur 27 June 1952 26 Formateur PvdA 1952 23 July 1952 13 Informateur KVP 5 August 1952 17 Formateur PvdA 22 August 1952 5 Formateur CHU 29 August 1952 4 Formateur PvdA 25 May 1955 9 Formateur PvdA 1955 16 June 1956 38 Formateur PvdA 1956 24 June 1956 9 Formateur KVP 16 August 1956 5 Informateur PvdA 7 August 1956 9 Informateur 22 August 1956 25 Informateur ARP 20 September 1956 19 Informateur PvdA 9 October 1956 3 Formateur PvdA 12 December 1958 7 Informateur KVP 1958 19 December 1958 3 Formateur 14 March 1959 13 Informateur KVP 1959 28 March 1959 30 Formateur KVP 1 May 1959 13 Informateur KVP 14 May 1959 5 Formateur KVP 27 December 1960 6 Informateur ARP 1960–1961 20 May 1963 16 Informateur KVP 1963 6 June 1963 21 Formateur KVP 28 June 1963 7 Informateur KVP 5 July 1963 11 Formateur KVP 16 July 1963 8 Formateur KVP 2 March 1965 11 Informateur KVP 1965 15 March 1965 29 Formateur KVP 18 October 1966 17 Informateur KVP 1966 4 November 1966 12 Informateur KVP 16 November 1966 6 Formateur ARP 18 February 1967 15 Informateur ARP 1967 6 March 1967 3 Informateur KVP 9 March 1967 12 Formateur ARP 21 March 1967 14 Formateur KVP 15 May 1971 37 Informateur KVP 1971 21 June 1971 15 Formateur ARP 22 July 1972 18 Formateur ARP 1972 4 December 1972 58 Informateur ARP 1972–1973 1 February 1973 62 Formateur PvdA 10 April 1973 13 Informateur KVP ARP 23 April 1973 18 Formateur PvdA ARP 1 June 1977 45 Formateur PvdA 1977 20 July 1977 7 Informateur CDA 27 July 1977 30 Formateur PvdA 26 August 1977 7 Informateur CDA 2 September 1977 35 Formateur PvdA 11 October 1977 15 Informateur PvdA CDA 26 October 1977 10 Formateur PvdA 8 November 1977 29 Informateur CDA 8 December 1977 11 Formateur CDA 30 May 1981 66 Informateur CDA 1981 CDA 10 July 1981 25 Informateur PvdA 4 August 1981 16 Formateur CDA 20 August 1981 13 Informateur CDA 2 September 1981 9 Formateur CDA 16 October 1981 19 Informateur PvdA PvdA 14 May 1982 12 Informateur CDA May–Jun 1982 25 May 1982 4 Formateur CDA 10 September 1982 21 Informateur PvdA Sep–Nov 1982 1 October 1982 29 Informateur CDA 30 October 1982 5 Formateur CDA 23 May 1986 50 Informateur CDA 1986 11 July 1986 3 Formateur CDA 8 September 1989 5 Informateur CDA 1989 13 September 1989 45 Informateur CDA 27 October 1989 9 Formateur 6 May 1994 8 Informateur PvdA 1994 14 May 1994 44 Informateur D66 VVD PvdA 27 June 1994 9 Informateur PvdA 6 July 1994 23 Informateur PvdA 29 July 1994 22 Formateur 8 May 1998 6 Informateur PvdA 1998 14 May 1998 67 Informateur VVD D66 PvdA 20 July 1998 14 Formateur 22 May 1999 18 Formateur PvdA 1999 17 May 2002 48 Informateur CDA 2002 4 July 2002 18 Formateur CDA 24 January 2003 11 Informateur CDA 2003 5 February 2003 66 Informateur PvdA 15 April 2003 35 Informateur CDA VVD 20 May 2003 7 Formateur CDA 1 July 2006 4 Informateur CDA 2006 5 July 2006 3 Formateur CDA 25 November 2006 25 Informateur CDA 2006–2007 20 December 2006 51 Informateur CDA 9 February 2007 13 Formateur CDA 12 June 2010 14 Informateur VVD 2010 26 June 2010 10 Informateur PvdA 5 July 2010 16 Informateur VVD PvdA 21 July 2010 14 Informateur CDA 4 August 2010 32 Informateur VVD 7 September 2010 7 Informateur PvdA 13 September 2010 25 Informateur VVD 7 October 2010 8 Formateur VVD 13 September 2012 6 Scout VVD 2012 20 September 2012 42 Informateur PvdA 31 October 2012 5 Formateur VVD 16 March 2017 11 Scout VVD 2017 28 March 2017 63 Informateur 30 May 2017 29 Informateur PvdA 28 June 2017 105 Informateur VVD 12 October 2017 14 Formateur VVD 18 March 2021 8 Scout VVD 2021–2022 D66 25 March 2021 8 Scout VVD D66 6 April 2021 24 Informateur PvdA 12 May 2021 113 Informateur PvdA 7 September 2021 23 Informateur VVD 5 October 2021 71 Informateur D66 16 December 2021 25 Formateur VVD 24 November 2023 4 Scout PVV 2023–2024 28 November 2023 14 Scout PvdA 13 December 2023 62 Informateur 14 February 2024 30 Informateur PvdA 20 March 2024 58 Informateur SGP CDA 22 May 2024 41 Formateur 4 November 2025 8 Scout D66 2025–2026 13 November 2025 2 Informateur D66 28 CDA 10 December 2025 52 Informateur D66 3 February 2026 19 Formateur D66
See also List of Dutch cabinet formations
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