The
States-Provincial (in Dutch:
Provinciale Staten, abbreviated
PS – commonly known as simply the
Staten) is the provincial parliament and legislative assembly in each of the
provinces of the Netherlands. It is elected for each province simultaneously once every four years and has the responsibility for matters of sub-national or regional importance. Each States-Provincial is directly elected by the electors within the relevant province, and the number of seats in each States-Provincial is proportional to its population.