Politics of Sint Maarten

In a nutshell

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.

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Political movements

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

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Government

Executive power

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

Current cabinet

The cabinet is composed as follows:

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

Legislative power

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

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.

Other institutions

Council of Advice
General Audit Chamber
Ombudsman

History

2003 Netherlands Antilles island council elections
2007 Netherlands Antilles island council elections
Constitution of Sint Maarten adopted by Sint Maarten Island Council, 21 July 2010
2010 Sint Maarten general election, 17 September 2010 - enlargement of the Island Council to 15 seats, First Wescot-Williams cabinet
Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles and new constitution takes effect - 10 October 2010, conversion of the Island Council to the Estates of Sint Maarten
Second Wescot-Williams cabinet
Third Wescot-Williams cabinet
2014 Sint Maarten general election - Gumbs cabinet
First Marlin cabinet
2016 Sint Maarten general election - Second Marlin cabinet
First Marlin-Romeo cabinet (caretaker)
2018 Sint Maarten general election - Second Marlin-Romeo cabinet
Jacobs cabinet (caretaker)
2020 Sint Maarten general election - Second Jacobs cabinet
January 2024 Sint Maarten general election - Luc Mercelina, prime minister

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