Voting for European elections in St. Maarten opens on June 3
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 team for voters living abroad emphasized that a driver’s license is not a valid ID. Valid IDs are: a Dutch passport, a Dutch identity card, or an ID issued by Aruba, Curacao or St. Maarten that mentions the Dutch nationality. An ID issued by Bonaire, Saba or Statia that mentions the Dutch nationality is also valid.
Eligible voters have received a notice from the team for voters living abroad. The recipients of this notice can pick up their ballot at the office of the Dutch Representative; they can also immediately cast their vote there. According to the Electoral Law it is not possible to receive the ballot at someone’s home address or via email. It can only be obtained at the office of the Dutch Representative.
The Voting Bureau is open from Monday June 3 until Wednesday June 5 from 8.30 a.m. until 16.30 p.m. On Thursday June 6 it is open from 8.30 a.m. until 15.00 p.m. After the voting closes the votes will be counted.
Voters who want more information about the European elections can visit the website stemmenvanuithetbuitenland.nl or call +31 70 353 44 00 between 9.30 a.m. and 17.00 p.m. Dutch local time. It is also possible to request information per email by sending a message to kbn.verkiezingen@denhaag.nl.
Twenty Dutch parties with 457 candidates are going to contest these elections. 50Plus has the largest list with 50 candidates while Meer Directe Democratie, the only all-female list, fields five candidates. Most of the candidates have their residence in the Netherlands and several live in neighboring Belgium. Curacao-born Kenville Kleinmoedig (29) is number 18 on the list of the Groenlinks-PvdA party.
The only Dutch Caribbean candidate is Gerard van Erp from Bonaire, the number 6 on the list of BVNL (Belang van Nederland). Other outliers are Danielle van Hulst (D66 #23, France), Robin Martens (#6 BBB, Bucharest), Joost Schepel (#16 BBB, Malaga), Miranda Meijerman (#18, Volt, Berlin) and Wil Steijling (#15, NSC, Berlin)..
The leaders of the parties that contest the elections and their places of residence are: Bas Eickhout (Pvda/GroenLinks, Utrecht), Malik Azmani (VVD, Den Haag), Tom Berendsen (CDA, Breda), Ralf Dekker (Forum voor Democratie, Amsterdam), Gerben-Jan Gerbrandij (D66, Den Haag), Anja Hazekamp (Partij voor de Dieren, Etterbeek, Belgium), Adriana Hernandez Martinez (50 Plus, Den Bosch), Sebastiaan Stöteler (PVV, Almelo), Michiel Hoogeveen (JA21, Oegstgeest), Kok Chan (NL Plan EU, Amsterdam), Anja Haga (Christian Union, Dokkum), Bert-Jan Ruissen (SGP, Krimpen aan den IJssel), Sander Smit (BBB, Goor), Dorien Rookmaker (Meer Directe Democratie, Hattem), Gerrie Elfrink (Socialist Party, Arnhem), Sent Wierda (vandeRegio, Apeldoorn), Reinier van Lanschot (Volt Nederland, Amsterdam), Wybren van Haga (Belang van Nederland, Haarlem), Dirk Gotink (New Social Contract, Brussels), and Mathijs Pontier (Pirantenpartij – De Groenen, Amsterdam).
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