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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 predecessor island council elected on 17 September 2010.[1] The current President of Parliament is Grisha Heyliger-Marten.[2]
Role and function
The parliament is the highest legislative body of the country 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 opens and closes the session year of the Parliament. Parliament is sometimes called a "co-legislator" with the Government, because both have control over policy.
Parliament's powers include:
- 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
2020 general election
| |||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||
Current parliament
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 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 or coalition.
Current members of parliament were seated on February 9, 2024, following the 2024 Sint Maarten general election. As of March 2024, the cabinet is still under formation.[3]
See also
References
- ^ RNW.nl – Eilandsraad Sint Maarten unaniem achter staatsregeling
- ^ "MP Heyliger-Marten elected president of parliament". StMaartenNews.com - News Views Reviews & Interviews. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ Luc Mercelina (28 March 2024). "Dr. Mercelina gives update on the Formation". Saint Martin News Network.
External links
- The Parliament of Dutch Sint Maarten - official website
