| Election Name: | 2023 Dutch water board elections |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2019 |
| Next Election: | 2027 |
| Seats For Election: | 518 of the 602 seats in the water boards |
| Turnout: | 53.61 |
| Election Date: | 15 March 2023 |
| Noleader: | yes |
| Party1: | Farmer–Citizen Movement |
| Last Election1: | new |
| Seats1: | 118 |
| Percentage1: | 19.89% |
| Party2: | Water Natuurlijk |
| Last Election2: | 91 |
| Seats2: | 97 |
| Percentage2: | 15.95% |
| Party3: | People's Party for Freedom and Democracy |
| Last Election3: | 70 |
| Seats3: | 55 |
| Percentage3: | 10.27% |
| Party4: | Labour Party |
| Last Election4: | 49 |
| Seats4: | 50 |
| Percentage4: | 9.39% |
| Party5: | Party for the Animals |
| Last Election5: | 17 |
| Seats5: | 37 |
| Percentage5: | 7.47% |
| Party6: | Christian Democratic Appeal |
| Last Election6: | 60 |
| Seats6: | 36 |
| Percentage6: | 7.26% |
| Party7: | General Water Board Party |
| Last Election7: | 23 |
| Seats7: | 21 |
| Percentage7: | 5.25% |
| Party8: | Christian Union |
| Last Election8: | 15 |
| Seats8: | 14 |
| Percentage8: | 3.07% |
| Party9: | 50PLUS |
| Last Election9: | 32 |
| Seats9: | 10 |
| Percentage9: | 3.03% |
| Party10: | Belang van Nederland |
| Last Election10: | New |
| Seats10: | 5 |
| Percentage10: | 2.54% |
| Party11: | Reformed Political Party |
| Last Election11: | 9 |
| Seats11: | 13 |
| Percentage11: | 2.33% |
| Party12: | JA21 |
| Last Election12: | New |
| Seats12: | 5 |
| Percentage12: | 1.32% |
| Party13: | Christian Union–SGP |
| Last Election13: | 8 |
| Seats13: | 6 |
| Percentage13: | 1.16% |
| Color14: |
|
| Party14: | Ondernemend Water |
| Last Election14: | New |
| Seats14: | 1 |
| Percentage14: | 0.51% |
| Color15: |
|
| Last Election15: | New |
| Seats15: | 3 |
| Percentage15: | 0.41% |
| Party16: | The Greens |
| Last Election16: | 2 |
| Seats16: | 1 |
| Percentage16: | 0.39% |
| Party17: | Others |
| Last Election17: | 57 |
| Seats17: | 46 |
| Percentage17: | 9.46% |
Water board elections were held in the European Netherlands on 15 March 2023 to elect 518 of the 602 resident members of the country's water boards.[1]
As in the provincial elections held on the same day, the Farmer–Citizen Movement became the largest party by vote share nationally and in 14 of the 21 water boards. Water Natuurlijk, which was endorsed by GroenLinks, Democrats 66 and Volt Netherlands fell to second place nationally but remained the largest party by vote share in four water boards. The Labour Party and local Water Board Party Hollandse Delta were also each largest by vote share in one water board.
These elections also saw a large increase in the number of elected officials to the water boards, due to a new bill which was passed by the Senate which heavily reduced the number of seats which went to stakeholders.[2] The total number of seats in each water board was not affected by this, instead the seats that were formerly held by stakeholders are now elected during the water board elections.[2]
| Water Board | Number of seats by party | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BBB | WN | VVD | PvdA | PvdD | CDA | AWP | CU | SGP | 50+ | BVNL | JA21 | GB | Other | Total | |||||||
| style="background-color: ;" | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Noorderzijlvest | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 2 | 19 | ||||||
| Fryslân | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 2 | 21 | ||||||
| Hunze en Aa's | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 19 | ||||||
| Drents Overijsselse Delta | 9 | 5 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 25 | ||||||
| Vechtstromen | 9 | 7 | 2 | - | - | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 23 | ||||||
| Zuiderzeeland | 6 | 6 | 2 | - | - | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 21 | |||||||
| Vallei en Veluwe | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 26 | ||||||
| Rijn en IJssel | 9 | 5 | 2 | 4 | - | 3 | 0 | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | 3 | 26 | ||||||
| De Stichtse Rijnlanden | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 26 | ||||||
| Amstel, Gooi en Vecht | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 26 | ||||||
| Hollands Noorderkwartier | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 7 | 26 | ||||||
| Rijnland | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | 0 | 26 | |||||||
| Delfland | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | 0 | 26 | |||||||
| Schieland en de Krimpenerwaard | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | 0 | 26 | |||||||
| Rivierenland | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | - | 0 | 26 | ||||||
| Hollandse Delta | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 6 | 26 | ||||||
| Scheldestromen | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | 4 | 26 | ||||||
| Brabantse Delta | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 26 | ||||||
| De Dommel | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 26 | ||||||
| Aa en Maas | 7 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 0 | 26 | ||||||
| Limburg | 4 | 3 | 2 | - | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 0 | - | - | 13 | 26 | ||||||
| Total | style="background-color: ;" | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 118 | 97 | 55 | 50 | 37 | 36 | 21 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 48 | 518 | |||||||
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Compared to 2019 | +118 | +6 | rowspan="2" | -15 | +1 | +20 | rowspan="2" | -24 | rowspan="2" | -2 | rowspan="1" | -1 | +4 | rowspan="2" | -22 | +5 | +5 | +3 | rowspan="2" | -20 | +76 |
| colspan="2" | -2 | ||||||||||||||||||||