Formation
Following the 15 May 2002 elections, the division of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives (lower house) was:
| Christen Democratisch Appèl (CDA) | 43 |
| Lijst Pim Fortuyn (LPF) | 26 |
| Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD) | 24 |
| Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA) | 23 |
| GroenLinks (GL) | 10 |
| Socialistische Partij (SP) | 9 |
| Democraten 66 (D66) | 7 |
| ChristenUnie (CU) | 4 |
| Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij (SGP) | 2 |
| Leefbaar Nederland (LN) | 2 |
On 17 May Queen Beatrix appointed Piet Hein Donner, a CDA member of the Raad van State as "informer", to investigate the possibilities for a new government. A coalition between CDA, LPF and VVD was established relatively quickly, despite some initial resistance by the VVD. By 4 July a detailed coalition agreement had been drawn up and the Queen appointed Jan Peter Balkenende, the lijsttrekker for the CDA, to form a new cabinet. The cabinet was named on 16 July and was sworn in on 22 July. The first Balkenende cabinet comprised 14 ministers and 14 state secretaries, with each post allocated to one of the coalition parties. Each of the ministers headed a department, with the exception of one "minister without a portfolio" to deal with "foreigners policy and integration", accommodated by the Ministry of Justice.
Read more about this topic: First Balkenende Cabinet
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