Editing 2003 Dutch general election (section)

==Background==
The election was held following the resignation of the [[first Balkenende cabinet]] on 16 October 2002 after conflicts attributed to the [[Lijst Pim Fortuyn|LPF]], the new party of the already deceased [[Pim Fortuyn]].

In the early days of the campaign the [[Christen-Democratisch Appèl|CDA]] of incumbent [[prime minister]] [[Jan Peter Balkenende]] and the [[Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie|VVD]], the smallest [[coalition]] [[political party|party]], saw a major lead.

After TV debates the [[Partij van de Arbeid|PvdA]] (which had experienced a landslide defeat in the 2002 general election) of [[Opposition (politics)|opposition]] leader [[Wouter Bos]] caught up, overtaking the VVD and regaining some of the territory lost in the previous election. The PvdA also held a [[2002 PvdA leadership election|leadership election]] which got the party considerable attention.