Parliament of Sint Maarten Staten van Sint Maarten | |
---|---|
5th Parliament of Sint Maarten | |
Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 10 October 2010 |
Leadership | |
Sidharth M. Bijlani, UPP since November 30, 2022 | |
Structure | |
Seats | 15 |
Parliament political groups | Government Opposition |
Elections | |
Parliament voting system | Proportional representation |
Last Parliament election | 9 January 2020 |
Next Parliament election | 11 January 2024 |
Motto | |
Latin: coram populo | |
Website | |
www |
The Parliament of Sint Maarten (Dutch : Staten van Sint Maarten) is a unicameral legislature that consists of 15 members, each elected for a four-year term in a general election. The first parliament was installed on 10 October 2010, the date of the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, and consisted of the members of the island council elected on 17 September 2010. [1] The current President of Parliament is Grisha Heyliger-Marten. [2]
The two most important tasks of parliament is the realization of legislation for Sint Maarten, and secondly, to exercise control over Government's policy. Under the first task, Parliament exercises this task together with Government, so Parliament is called the co-legislator. In order to carry out the aforementioned, the Parliament has a number of powers that allows it to fulfill its two tasks: The right to approve and amend the budget; The right of interpellation where each Member of Parliament (MP) has the right to question ministers of government in the General Assembly of Parliament; The right of initiative allows MPs to submit draft laws on their own initiative; The right to amendment, allows MPs to amend legislation that has been submitted to Parliament; The right to ask questions, every MP can question a Minister orally or in writing; The right to instigate inquiries allows parliament to institute an inquiry into the state of affairs in an event in which Government is involved.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
National Alliance | 4,715 | 35.36 | 6 | +1 | |||||
United People's Party | 3,231 | 24.23 | 4 | +4 | |||||
United St. Maarten Party | 1,762 | 13.21 | 2 | 0 | |||||
Party for Progress | 1,407 | 10.55 | 2 | New | |||||
United Democrats | 1,161 | 8.71 | 1 | –6 | |||||
St. Maarten Christian Party | 759 | 5.69 | 0 | –1 | |||||
People's Progressive Alliance | 326 | 2.45 | 0 | 0 | |||||
Invalid/blank votes | 402 | – | – | – | |||||
Total | 13,735 | 100 | 15 | 0 | |||||
Registered voters/turnout | 23,106 | 59.44 | – | – | |||||
Source: Government of Sint Maarten |
The Government of Sint Maarten is based on a political party having a majority of the 15 seats in parliament. A political party would need to have eight seats (8) in order to govern outright. However, more than one party can form a Government if parties can reach an agreement to do so. An independent member of parliament can also be part of the ranks of the opposition or be part of the governing party(s).
The current parliament took office on 10 February 2020 following a snap election, and will serve for a four-year period, until 2024 when new elections are due. The current parliament comprises the following:
The Government: As an island territory, St. Maarten was governed by the Island Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles, and in accordance herewith the administration units of the Island Territory were: the Island Council, Executive Council and Lt. Governor. As of 10 October 2010, St. Maarten is now governed by its own Constitution and the following institutions of government: Governor as Head of State, Parliament, and the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister.
The Parliament: The parliament is the highest legislative body of country St. Maarten and represents the entire population of the Dutch side of the island. The parliament consists of 15 members who are elected for a four-year period. The session year of parliament commences on the second Tuesday of September. During this session, the Governor provides an explanation of the policy to be pursued by the government. The parliament elects a President and Deputy President from its own numbers. The President of Parliament shall open and close the session year of the Parliament.
The Council of Ministers: The council of ministers comprises seven ministers. The ministers are answerable to the parliament. The prime minister chairs the council of ministers. The council of ministers shall debate and determine government policy in order to promote the cohesion of that policy. The governor general attending a meeting of the council of ministers does so in an advisory capacity. The prime minister and other ministers shall be appointed and dismissed by national ordinance. Ministers no longer enjoying the confidence of the parliament shall surrender their office. The Minister of Plenipotentiary must have the Dutch nationality. This person represents the island in the Kingdom Council of Ministers meetings in The Hague, The Netherlands. The minister also has an office in the Netherlands under the banner of the "St. Maarten House." Each minister heads one of seven ministries which are established by national ordinance.
System of Government: St. Maarten is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with full autonomy in internal affairs. The Kingdom Government is responsible for defense and foreign affairs. The King of the Netherlands is Head of State and is represented by the Governor. Other institutions of government are the Council of Advice, the General Audit Chamber and Ombudsman.
The Judiciary: The courts forming part of the judiciary are: the Court at First Instance; the Common Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. The jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands in relation to legal cases in St. Maarten shall be regulated by Kingdom law. The responsibilities of the judiciary are: the adjudication of disputes on civil matters; the trial of criminal offences; and the adjudication of disputes on administrative law matters.
Constitutional Court: The duty of the court is to assess the compatibility of any applicable statutory regulations. The constitutional court consists of three members, including a president and a vice president, and three substitute members.
The Netherlands Antilles was a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The country consisted of several island territories located in the Caribbean Sea. The islands were also informally known as the Dutch Antilles. The country came into being in 1954 as the autonomous successor of the Dutch colony of Curaçao and Dependencies. The Antilles were dissolved in 2010. The Dutch colony of Surinam, although it was relatively close by on the continent of South America, did not become part of the Netherlands Antilles but became a separate autonomous country in 1954. All the island territories that belonged to the Netherlands Antilles remain part of the kingdom today, although the legal status of each differs. As a group they are still commonly called the Dutch Caribbean, regardless of their legal status. People from this former territory continue to be called Antilleans in the Netherlands.
The politics of the Netherlands Antilles, a former constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, existed in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic country, in which the prime minister was the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power was exercised by the government. Federal legislative power was vested in both the government and parliament. The Judiciary was independent of the executive and the legislature. The Netherlands Antilles had full autonomy on most matters. Exceptions were defence, foreign affairs, and the Supreme Court.
Politics of Aruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic country, whereby the governor in his capacity as the King's representative is the de jure head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Aruba has full autonomy on most matters. Exceptions are defense, foreign affairs, and the Supreme Court. The constitution was enacted in 1986.
The Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles was proclaimed on 29 March 1955 by Order-in-Council for the Kingdom. Its proclamation was specifically mandated by article 59(4) of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which had been enacted on 15 December 1954. Together with the Island Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles, the Constitution describes the foundation of the government of the Netherlands Antilles.
The National Alliance is a political alliance in Sint Maarten, formed by the Sint Maarten Patriotic Alliance (SPA) and the National Progressive Party (NPP). It is one of main political parties within Sint Maarten. At the legislative elections in the Netherlands Antilles, 18 January 2002, the alliance won 4.8% of the popular vote of Sint Maarten and 1 out of 22 seats. At the elections in the Netherlands Antilles of 27 January 2006, it won one extra seat.
Same-sex marriages are not performed in Aruba, Curaçao, or Sint Maarten, which are constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The islands were obliged after several court rulings to register any marriage registered in the Kingdom, but this primarily considers residency rights, and they do not have to give same-sex marriages the same legal effect as opposite-sex marriages. Marriage in the European territory of the Netherlands, as well as in the Caribbean municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, is open to any two people irrespective of sex.
A federacy is a form of government where one or several substate units enjoy considerably more independence than the majority of the substate units. To some extent, such an arrangement can be considered to be similar to asymmetric federalism.
Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. 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.
The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a legal instrument that sets out the political relationship between the four countries that constitute the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten in the Caribbean and the Netherlands in Europe. It is the leading legal document of the Kingdom. The Constitution of the Netherlands and the Basic Laws of the three other countries are legally subordinate to the Charter.
The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010.
The flag of Sint Maarten consists of a white triangle situated at the hoist charged with the constituent country's coat of arms, along with two horizontal bands of red and blue. Adopted in 1985 shortly after the territory was granted a coat of arms, it has been the flag of Sint Maarten since 13 June of that year. Since the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles on 10 October 2010, it has been the sole flag used in the constituent country.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands, commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The realm is not a federation; it is a unitary monarchy with its largest subdivision, the eponymous Netherlands, predominantly located in Western Europe and with several smaller island territories located in the Caribbean.
Johannes de Graaff (1729–1813), also referred to as Johannis de Graeff in some documents, was a Dutch Governor of Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles during the difficult time of the American Revolutionary War.
The government of Curaçao, a "constituent country" of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic country, whereby the prime minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Curaçao 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 Curaçao was ratified in September 2010, and entered into force on 10 October 2010 upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.
The Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten represents the constituent country of Sint Maarten in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The current Minister Plenipotentiary is Rene Violenus.
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 presides 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.
Marcel Faustiano Augustin Gumbs is a Sint Maarten politician who served as the 2nd Prime Minister of Sint Maarten from 2014 to 2015. He was selected as Prime Minister in the coalition agreement between the United People's Party and the independent Members Parliament Cornelius de Weever and Leona Marlin-Romeo. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, he served as a member on the Sint Maarten Council of Advise.
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 and United People's Party politician who serves as a Member of Parliament since 2014. He was Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications in the First Wescot-Williams cabinet from 2010 to 2012.
Wycliffe Sylvester Smith is a Sint Maarten politician, former pastor and poet. Smith briefly served as prime minister of Sint Maarten in 2019. From 1983 to 1989 he was the lieutenant governor of Saba.