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Published On: Wed, Sep 28th, 2016

Surprise coalition: NA joins forces with UP

GREAT BAY – The 5-5-3-2 result of the elections put fifteen parliamentarians in their seats early Tuesday morning. But the surprise agreement between the National Alliance and the United People’s party threw several careers in disarray, opened the doors for others and triggers questions about the future of the hospital project. NA-leader William Marlin sent a Whatsapp to his party’s membership to inform them about the cooperation with the UP.na-up-sign-agreement

From left: Franklin Meyers, Theo Heyliger, William Marlin and Silveria Jacobs showing the agreement parties signed early Tuesday morning. Photo contributed

Surprise coalition: NA joins forces with UP

The turn towards the UP has to do with deputy leader Silveria Jacobs’ refusal to work together with the USp. Frans Richardson is said to be ‘livid’ that he will not be part of the next government.

Based on the portfolio division between the NA and the UP, the public health ministry goes to the UP, where Dr. Lloyd Richardson or Cornelius de Weever will take up the post. Especially De Weever has been critical of the hospital project pulled off by DP-Minister Emil Lee, so it remains to be seen what will happen with it now.

The top five vote getters for the NA are: Silveria Jacobs, William Marlin, Christophe Emmanuel, Rodolphe Samuel and Ardwell Irion. Because possibly three of these candidates may become a members of the Council of Ministers – Marlin (Prime Minister), Jacobs (education) and Samuel (Vromi) – the three next in line will still grab a seat: Hyacinth Richardson, Romeo Pantophlet and George Pantophlet. Richard Gibson will stay on as the minister of finance.

The top five vote getters for the UP are Theo Heyliger, Franklin Meyers, Sidharth ‘Cookie’ Bijlani, Claret Connor and Jules James. Since none of these five elected MPs will take up a post as minister, Tamara Leonard and Leona Marlin-Romeo will not return in the new parliament.

If Dr. Lloyd Richardson becomes the new minister of public health, Cornelius de Weever will be left out in the cold as well. In 2014, De Weever left the Democratic Party after the elections to join the UP.

The Democratic Party fields two MPs in the new parliament: current Minister Emil Lee and leader Sarah Wescot-Williams, who was outvoted by her number two candidate. Perry Geerlings was the DP’s number three vote-getter but he will miss out on a seat.

At the USp, the elections brought a remarkable result. Young Chanel Brownbill gave party leader Frans Richardson a run for his money and ended in second place, just 60 votes behind him. The number 3 vote getter is Silvio Matser, who was listed as the party’s number 23 candidate. Just like two years ago, when Matser came from number 23 to become the number three vote getter for the UP, Matser catapulted into third place and another seat in parliament with 347 votes.

Matser is still a suspect in vote buying case that played around the 2014 elections, whereby Matser and a gang of twenty other suspects amongst others bribed inmates in the Pointe Blanche prison to vote for them.

Maria Buncamper-Molanus, the former minister of public health who ran on the UP-list in 2014 and narrowly missed a seat in parliament, felt the effects of her criminal conviction for tax fraud and forgery. She dropped from 202 votes in 2014 to 156 this time, by far not enough to win a seat.

Because the USp will not be a part of the next government, candidates Maurice Lake and Romain Laville also see their political careers fizzle.