PHILIPSBURG — Beginning on Monday June 3, eligible voters in St. Maarten will be able to cast their vote in the elections for the European parliament. The possibility to cast a vote ends on Thursday, June 6, at 3 p.m. local time. The voting bureau is established at the office of the Dutch Representative, on Front Street 26 in Philipsburg. Voters must present a valid Dutch ID as well as a copy of it. ID’s that expired after April 23, 2024 are not acceptable. The copy of the ID will be attached to the ballot. The Unit Elections of the…
Author: The Publisher
In the midst of political debates and legislative complexities surrounding the use of Article 59 of the Constitution of St. Maarten, it’s crucial to remember the core concerns of the average voter. A statement provided by a StMaartenNews.com reader highlights a significant disconnect between political, legal, constitutional and intellectual discourse and the daily struggles of the common person. — “You guys know that people are not interested in this debate. The regular local man on the street, the people who actually go to the vote – except for a few elites – you know that they’re not interested in these…
PHILIPSBURG — “I was never part of the recruitment of Kevin (Maingrette) or any other member of parliament,” National Alliance MP Silveria Jacobs said during an interview on Radio 101.5 FM on Monday, May 27. The former prime minister discussed in the interview political developments after the fall of the Mercelina government and the call for new elections that are now scheduled to take place on August 19. See related story… Jacobs noted that her party was in a government with the United People’s party (UP) for four years. “This country has been crying for stability,” she said. “During two…
PHILIPSBURG — The Pro Soualiga Foundation presented a third way to Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina and the Central Voting Bureau chairlady Natahlie Tackling to solve the conflict between article 59 of the Constitution and two electoral laws. Article 59 states that the new Parliament must be seated within three months after the call for new elections, but if the government wants to adhere to the terms established in electoral laws this is not possible. The government has in the meantime found a way out, citing exceptional circumstances, that justifies exceeding the three-month term. See related news: Elections postponed until…
PHILIPSBURG — In consultation with Acting Governor Emily Bird-Lake, the government has postponed the elections for a new parliament from July 19 until August 19. Postulation Day is now set for July 2 and the new parliament will be seated on September 20, while the current parliament will be dissolved on the same date. In a national decree dated May 27, the Acting Governor and the Prime Minister motivate their decision to change the dates that were established in a decree dated May 21. They quote the concerns expressed by the Central Voting Bureau (CVB) in a letter dated May…
GREAT BAY (May 27, 2024)—The process of the transfer of land from the Princess Juliana International Airport Holding company (PJIAH) to the government for the construction of the Weather Bureau and Civil Aviation buildings has been set in motion, following discussions between Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications Grisha Heyliger-Marten and PJIAH management. The land transfer issue has been pending for almost a decade, resulting in increasing rental expenses for government. The land in question measures some 1,200 square meters at the location of the Air Traffic Control Tower. “One of the reasons the Met Office and Civil…
Philipsburg, St. Maarten – The Board of the National Alliance (NA) is deeply concerned about the false narratives being spread by the outgoing 2×4 coalition. These misleading claims undermine public trust in elected officials. When the National Alliance took office in November 2019, they inherited a budget for fiscal year 2019 that had just been approved after nearly a year’s delay by the previous DP Minister. This delay halted new policy implementation and left the budget unbalanced, with a shortfall of approximately NAF 71 million guilders, necessitating a request for liquidity support from the Netherlands. Despite the challenges left by…
St. Maarten is in bewilderment at the latest development today. A letter to the Governor went viral on social media wherein MP Kevin Maingrette states that he retracts his support for the Great 8 and renews his support for the Dr. Luc Mercelina government as an Independent MP. This is a political primeur for me. I have never ever seen this happen before in all the years I have been observing and writing about politics in St. Maarten. This situation has exposed the fundamental flaw in our electoral process. This is what we get when we select willy-nilly candidates based…
PHILIPSBURG — The board of the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM) has issued a statement regarding the recent actions of Independent Member of Parliament Kevin Maingrette. According to the reports, MP Maingrette retracted his support and submitted a letter to Governor Baly to endorse the current coalition again. The URSM board and Party Leader/Prime Minister would like to clarify that they had no involvement or engagement in MP Maingrette’s latest decision. “We believe MP Maingrette engaged in deep personal reflection, recognizing that every action prompts a reaction,” stated the board of URSM. The board also acknowledges that, regardless of…
By Hilbert Haar An unintentional failure to notice or do something. That is, according to the Oxford dictionary, the definition of the term oversight. The current discrepancies between Article 59 of the Constitution and the election laws stem from a legislative oversight, the Central Voting Bureau (CVB) wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina. Attached to this letter was an advice written by constitutional expert Prof. Dr. Arjen van Rijn. I quote: “Tot dusver heeft reeds driemaal een Statenontbinding op grond van artikel 59 Staatregeling plaatsgevonden met een – deels inderdaad aanzienlijke – overschrijding van de driemaandentermijn.”…
