I know the lower house is selected through general elections, but what about the upper house?
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Bicameral parliaments, which are parliaments that have two houses or chambers, can have strong or weak bicameralism. In strong bicameralism, neither chamber can overrule the other and often these have some separation of tasks. In weak bicameralism, one chamber can, in the end, overrule the other.
The Dutch parliament, the Netherlands States General, also has two houses: the First or Upper Chamber and the Second or Lower Chamber. It has weak bicameralism where, just like the UK, the Lower Chamber is the most powerful. Only the Lower Chamber can introduce amendments to legislation, whereas the Upper Chamber can only vote for or against the bill as is. Supposedly, the Upper Chamber works as a *Chambre de réflection*, meaning that it re-evaluates the bills accepted by the Lower Chamber, slows the speed of lawmaking down and tests the feasibility of the proposed law and compatibility with the constitution and other human rights obligations. The Netherlands has no direct constitutional review, because the parliament is sovereign.
The Upper Chamber has half as many members as the Lower Chamber (75 versus 150) and it is indirectly elected. This means that in provincial elections the people vote for deputies for the provincial legislatures, who in turn vote for the Upper Chamber. Due to this linkage provincial issues tend to get overshadowed by national politics. Members of the Upper Chamber, often called senators, tend to vote along the same lines as their political party did in the Lower Chamber, but sometimes that does not happen. Then extra assurances by the minister or an alternative majority is needed.
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