Politics of Sint Maarten

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Politics of Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has a government formed by the monarch, represented by the governor, and the ministers. The Prime Minister of Sint Maarten presides over the council of ministers. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The minister plenipotentiary is not part of the government and represents the Sint Maarten government in the Netherlands. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The country is a parliamentary representative democratic country with a multi-party system. Sint Maarten has full autonomy on most matters, with the exceptions summed up in the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands under the title "Kingdom affairs". The Constitution of Sint Maarten was ratified in September 2010, and entered into force on 10 October 2010.

Political movements[edit]

Currently, there is a movement in Sint Maarten which aims to unite the island of Saint Martin.[1]

Government[edit]

Executive power[edit]

Executive power rests with a governor, and a prime minister who heads a cabinet. The governor of Sint Maarten is appointed for a six-year term by the monarch, and the prime minister and deputy prime minister are elected by the Staten for four-year terms.

The cabinet or "council" of seven ministers is answerable to the parliament, which establishes the portfolio for each. The governor-general attends meetings of the council of ministers in an advisory capacity only. The prime minister and other ministers are appointed and dismissed by parliament. The Minister of Plenipotentiary must have Dutch nationality. This person represents the island in the Kingdom Council of Ministers meetings in The Hague in the European Netherlands. The minister also has an office in the Netherlands under the banner of the "St. Maarten House".

Current executive office holders[edit]

Main office-holders
Office Name Party Since
King Willem-Alexander 30 April 2013
Governor Ajamu Baly 10 October 2022

Current cabinet[edit]

This section is transcluded from Mercelina cabinet. (edit | history)

The cabinet is composed as follows:

  Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM)   Democratic Party (DP)   Party for Progress (Sint Maarten) (PFP [nl])   Nation Opportunity Wealth (N.O.W.)

Portfolio Minister Took office Left office Party Remarks
Prime Minister
Minister of General Affairs		3 May 2024Incumbent URSM 
Deputy Prime Minister[2]
Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA)
Acting Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure		3 May 2024Incumbent URSM 
Minister of Justice
Acting Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (ECYS)		3 May 2024Incumbent N.O.W.[3] 
Minister of Finance3 May 2024Incumbent DP 
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication3 May 2024Incumbent DPCurrent member of parliament[4]
Minister Plenipotentiary3 May 2024Incumbent PFP [nl] 
Acting Minister Plenipotentiary3 May 2024Incumbent URSM 

Legislative power[edit]

Legislative power is shared by the government and the legislature. The legislature or Staten is made up of 15 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms.

Judicial power[edit]

Sint Maarten's judicial system, which has mainly been derived from the Dutch system, operates independently of the legislature and the executive. Jurisdiction, including appeal, lies with the Common Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba and the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.

Sint Maarten is the only part of the Netherlands where laws can be evaluated against the constitution. Such an evaluation is performed by the Constitutional Court of Sint Maarten after a request by the Ombudsman of Sint Maarten after the law is passed.

As for the legal profession, the Order of Lawyers Sint Maarten (Orde van Advocaten Sint Maarten) has existed since 1989.[5]

Other institutions[edit]

  • Council of Advice
  • General Audit Chamber
  • Ombudsman

History[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Badejo, Fabian Adekunle (25 December 2004). "The reunification of St. Martin: A pipe dream or an inevitable choice?". House of Nehesi Publishers.
  2. ^ "Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure". www.sintmaartengov.org. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  3. ^ "St. Martin News Network - Lyndon Lewis to run on NOW Political Party". smn-news.com. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  4. ^ "Grisha S. Heyliger-Marten". Parliament of Sint Maarten. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  5. ^ "Leden & Bestuur | Orde van Advocaten". barsxm.com. Retrieved 2017-11-05.

External links[edit]

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