Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG--Parliamentary year 2013-2014 will close on Monday with a plenary meeting of Parliament starting at 10:00am in Parliament House. The meeting will be one of the last to be chaired by outgoing President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell (United People's Party).
The new Parliamentary year 2014-2015 will be opened by Arrindell in a solemn ceremony on Tuesday. Governor Eugene Holiday will deliver the governor's traditional speech about government's plans for the coming year at the opening ceremony.
This solemn ceremony starts at 10:00am in Parliament House.
It should be noted that the incumbent Members of Parliament, not those who were elected on August 29, will be present for the closing and opening of the new parliamentary year.
The MPs-elect will take the oath of office along with the new ministers on October 10. That date reflects when the Parliament came into being four years ago on October 10, 2010, and the then 15 Island Council members become the country's transition MPs.
The closing and opening of the parliamentary year is based on stipulations in the Constitution. That stipulation states that the new parliamentary year must start on the second Tuesday in September.
Both parliamentary sessions will be live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, Pearl Radio FM 98.1, www.pearlfmradio.com, and www.sxmparliament.org.
