Municipal elections were held on 18 March 2026 in 333 municipalities in the Netherlands. This election will determine the composition of the municipal councils for the following four years.
Election process Ballot paper size During the 2026 municipal elections, at least eleven municipalities will be experimenting with a smaller ballot paper (A3 format). These are Alphen aan den Rijn, Boekel, Gouda, 's-Hertogenbosch, Leiden, Meierijstad, Midden-Delfland, Nijmegen, Noordoostpolder, Soest and Tynaarlo.
The municipality of Borne previously participated in the experiment, but decided not to participate in these elections due to concerns about the number of invalid votes and the reduced recognizability of candidates.
Both the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the Electoral Council remain positive about the experiment, which should contribute to a simpler and faster voting and counting process.5 gemeenten stemmen met een kleiner en handzamer stembiljet tijdens de Europees Parlementsverkiezing, rijksoverheid.nl, 11 maart 2024Nog geen nieuw stembiljet in 2026, Binnenlands Bestuur, 19 november 2024
National Opinion polling Polling firm Fieldwork dateGL–PvdAVVDCDAD66CUSPSGPPvdDFvDCU–SGPDenkPVVVoltBBB50+JA21Local partiesOthers 2026 election 18 Mar 2026 14.6 11.6 11.1 9.3 2.8 1.9 2.5 1.7 4.0 0.8 1.1 1.2 1.0 0.5 0.8 0.5 33.4 1.2 Ipsos I&O 6–9 Mar 2026 17.3 11.4 8.6 8.7 2.5 1.9 2.3 1.9 3.8 1.1 1.1 2.1 0.8 0.6 0.3 0.3 34.5 0.8 2022 election 16 Mar 2022 17.8 11.7 11.2 8.8 3.9 2.8 2.3 2.0 1.1 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.2 31.3 2.2
Results
Amsterdam Results
Opinion polling Polling firm/Commissioner Fieldwork date Sample size PvdA GL D66 VVD BIJ1 PvdD Volt SP JA21 Denk CDA FvD PvdO2026 election results18 Mar 20268107623212211 O&S/Het Parool & AT5 9–12 Mar 2026 771 10 8 6 4 2 4 2 2 3 2 1 1 0 O&S/Het Parool & AT5 27 Jan–9 Feb 2026 1,354 9 8 8 4 1 4 2 2 3 2 1 1 0 O&S/Het Parool & AT5 4–12 Mar 2025 846 10 8 6 5 1 4 3 2 2 2 1 0 1 2022 election 16 Mar 2022 — 9 8 7 5 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 0
Rotterdam Results
Opinion polling Pollster Fieldwork date Party LR GL/PvdA D66 DENK VVD FVD PvdD BIJ1 CDA 50PLUS SP Volt CU Other Lead 2022 result 16 Mar 2022 10 9 5 4 6 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 Peil.nl 15 Mar 2026 10–11 8–9 6–7 3–4 3–4 2–3 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 0–1 0–1 2 Peil.nl 22 Feb 2026 9–10 8–9 8–9 3–4 3–4 2–3 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 0–1 0–11 D66/ordered by D66 15 Feb 2026 10 9 9 unclear 6 unclear unclear unclear 4 unclear unclear unclear unclear unclear 1 Ipsos I&O/ordered by GLPVDA 15 Feb 2026 16% 21% 15% 10% 9% unclear 9% unclear unclear unclear unclear unclear unclear unclear 5%
Groningen Results
Opinion polling Polling firm/Commissioner Fieldwork date Sample size GL–PvdA D66 PvdD SP VVD S&S CU CDA PvhN PVV FvD Volt OOG/Onderzoekdoen.nlGrote verschuivingen in Groningse peiling: lokale partijen verliezen, nieuwkomers Volt en FvD winnen | OOG Panel (in Dutch) 3–9 Mar 2026 1,759 14 4 3 2 6 3 1 1 4 1 2 2 2 2022 election 16 Mar 2022 — 15 5 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 1 0 —
No elections Reorganization In the following municipalities, no regular municipal council elections will be held on 18 March 2026 because they have recently been involved in a reorganization operation:Wet algemene regels herindeling, artikel 56e.
Reorganization as of 1 January 2027
In the municipalities of Hilversum and Wijdemeren, redistricting elections will be held on 18 November 2026, if the parliamentary procedure regarding the merger bill is completed in time in 2026.Wetsvoorstel herindeling gemeenten Hilversum en Wijdemeren naar Tweede Kamer rijksoverheid.nl, 21 November 2025
Due to status as a public body The public bodies of Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius (Caribbean Netherlands) have many tasks that are performed by municipalities in the rest of the Netherlands. However, the island council elections for these public bodies will take place simultaneously with the Provincial Council elections, which will be held for the first time in 2027.
Aftermath Due to irregularities involving proxy votes, the municipal council of Gorinchem voted to annul the results of the election. According to the NRC, voters (generally members of the Turkish minority) were coerced into giving away their voting passes and printed copies of their identity cards. A repeat election was held on 29 April. In the re-election, D66 lost a seat which was won by the CDA.
See also 2026 The Hague municipal election
References