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Democratic Party Sint Maarten Democratische Partij Sint Maarten | |
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Leader | Sarah Wescott-Williams |
President | Hasani Ellis [1] |
Founder | Claude Wathey Clem Labega [2] |
Founded | 1954[3] 22 January 2023 (refounded) [4] | (original)
Dissolved | November 2017 (refounded in January 2023) |
Split from | Curaçao Democratic Party (original) United Democrats (2023) |
Merged into | United Democrats (2017) |
Youth wing | Professional Young Persons |
Ideology | Social liberalism Progressivism [5] |
Political position | Centre to centre-left |
Colours | Red |
Parliament of Sint Maarten | 2 / 15 |
Website | |
www.dpsxm.com | |
The Democratic Party Sint Maarten (Dutch : Democratische Partij Sint Maarten) is a political party in Sint Maarten. The party was long associated with its powerful leader, business tycoon Claude Wathey. Wathey stepped down from his leadership post in 1992. The party was dissolved in 2017 and refounded in 2023.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which hit the island hard on 6 September 2017 and paralyzed the economy, the Democratic Party and the United People's Party decided to merge to form the United Democrats. [6]
Five years later, on 10 January 2023, a party congress was announced to take place on 22 January. Party leader Sarah Wescott-Williams cited Sint Maarten's "personal (individual) political system" as a cause for political instability and described the upcoming congress as "more than the usual annual council meeting of the party" and a "regeneration meeting". [4]
Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1955 | Claude Wathey | 365 | 66.97% | 4 / 5 | New |
1959 | 392 | 63.84% | 4 / 5 | 0 | |
1963 | 613 | 71.73% | 4 / 5 | 0 | |
1967 | Unopposed | 5 / 5 | 1 | ||
1971 | 1,234 | 59.44% | 4 / 5 | 1 | |
1975 | 2,081 | 5 / 5 | 1 | ||
1979 | 2,126 | 50.50% | 3 / 5 | 2 | |
1983 | 3,342 | 66.85% | 5 / 7 | 2 | |
1987 | 5,036 | 74.19% | 7 / 9 | 2 | |
1991 | 2,837 | 32.88% | 3 / 9 | 4 | |
1995 | Sarah Wescott-Williams | 4,323 | 45.81% | 5 / 11 | 2 |
1999 | 5,601 | 54.42% | 7 / 11 | 2 | |
2003 | 4,919 | 48.38% | 6 / 11 | 1 | |
2007 | 6,635 | 49.48% | 6 / 11 | 0 |
Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Sarah Wescott-Williams | 2,340 | 17.11% | 2 / 15 | 4 | Coalition |
2014 | 2,398 | 16.54% | 2 / 15 | 0 | Opposition (2014-2015) | |
Coalition (2015-2016) | ||||||
2016 | 1,813 | 12.76% | 2 / 15 | 0 | Coalition (2016-2017) | |
Opposition (2017-2018) | ||||||
2018 | Merged into United Democrats | |||||
2020 | ||||||
Jan 2024 | Sarah Wescot-Williams | 1,970 | 13.64% | 2 / 15 | 2 | Coalition |
Aug 2024 | Sarah Wescot-Williams | 2,069 | 15.11% | 3 / 15 | 1 | Coalition |
The Democratic Party is a political party in Sint Eustatius with two seats in the 5-seat island council. In 2011, the party obtained 2 seats in the first elections after Sint Eustatius became part of the Netherlands upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2011. However, their Island Council representative Reuben Merkman left the DP in 2014 and became an independent council member.
Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean region of North America. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of 34 km2 (13 sq mi), it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the northern 56% of the island constitutes the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin. Sint Maarten's capital is Philipsburg. Collectively, Sint Maarten and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.
Albert Claudius "Claude" Wathey, was a prominent politician of the Democratic Party from the island of Sint Maarten. He was knighted by the Dutch Crown for his political longevity.
The prime minister of Sint Maarten became the head of government of Sint Maarten after the Netherlands Antilles had been dissolved on 10 October 2010. The prime minister, together with the Council of Ministers and the governor of Sint Maarten, form the executive branch of the government of Sint Maarten. Sint Maarten's current prime minister is Luc Mercelina.
Sarah A. Wescot-Williams is the leader of the Democratic Party of Sint Maarten and the first Prime Minister of Sint Maarten. Wescot-Williams is the current President of Parliament, a role she has occupied on five separate occasions. Even though her party only managed to secure two seats in the Sint Maarten general election of 2010, she was selected as Prime Minister in the coalition agreement between United People and the Democratic Party.
The First Wescot-Williams cabinet was the first Cabinet of Sint Maarten installed following the achievement of constituent country status of Sint Maarten within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10 October 2010. Government formation followed the September 2010 Sint Maarten general election, which saw the National Alliance emerge as the largest party. Nevertheless, the coalition was formed by the Democratic Party and the United Peoples party. Despite only winning two seats, the office of Prime Minister was delivered by DP's head Sarah Wescot-Williams.
The second Wescot-Williams cabinet was the second Cabinet of Sint Maarten installed following the achievement of constituent country status of Sint Maarten within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10 October 2010. The cabinet was a coalition between the National Alliance and the Democratic Party, the latter party delivering the Prime Minister despite being the junior partner in the coalition.
The United People's Party is a political party in Sint Maarten founded in 2010.
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The president of the Parliament of Sint Maarten is the presiding officer of the Parliament of Sint Maarten. According to Article 8 of the Rules of Order of Parliament the president presides over the sittings of the House and enforces the rules prescribed in the Rules of Order of Parliament for the orderly conduct of parliamentary business. The president is supported by a team of vice presidents, divided into a first vice president and second vice president, who are also members of the House. In the event that the president is unable to lead a meeting the meeting is chaired by the first vice president.
Franklin Antonio Meyers is a Sint Maarten businessman, undertaker, and politician who serves as a Member of Parliament since 2024. He previously served as an MP from 2014 to 2019 and was Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications in the First Wescot-Williams cabinet from 2010 to 2012.
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The United Democrats was a political party on Sint Maarten. The party was originally a merger between the Democratic Party (DP) and the United People's Party (UP). The UP left and re-established itself in 2020, leaving the United Democrats as essentially a direct continuation of the Democratic Party, and after the latter was reformed in 2023, the UD became essentially defunct.
Silveria Elfrieda Jacobs is a Sint Maarten politician and the former Prime Minister of Sint Maarten from 2019 to 2024.
Island Council elections were held in Sint Eustatius on 21 October 2020. Sint Eustatius is a special municipality of the Netherlands. The elections were originally to be held on 20 March 2019, but were postponed due to administrative intervention by the Dutch government. On 23 September 2019, a new election date was announced.
General elections were held in Sint Maarten on 11 January 2024.
The Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement is a political party in Sint Maarten. It was founded in October 2021 by Luc Mercelina, who was at the time a member of Parliament for the United People's Party. The party contested the January 2024 general election winning two seats, and later entered a coalition agreement with the Democratic Party, Party for Progress and Nation Opportunity Wealth that designated URSM party leader Luc Mercelina as new Prime Minister.
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