SXMElections.com

Sarah questions reason for voting discrepancies meeting

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams wants an elaboration on the request for a Central Committee meeting on election day "discrepancies" as called for by MPs Leona Marlin-Romeo (independent), Tamara Leonard (United People's party) and Cornelius de Weever (DP) Read more

De Weever to take Bosman to court

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever is poised to take Dutch Parliament Second Chamber Member Andre Bosman to court over allegations Bosman made about him, as well as Bosman's refusal to retract his "slanderous" remarks about De Weever.

De Weever's attorney Jairo Bloem confirmed that a case against Bosman would be filed in the Netherlands Read more

Country’s old annual accounts handled by parliamentarians

PHILIPSBURG--The 2011 annual account covering the first year of country status was dealt with in a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on Monday.

Finance Minister Martin Hassink told Members of Parliament (MPs) the handling of the account was "far overdue," but a lot of hurdles and bottlenecks had to be overcome to get the report completed.

The report was compiled with "outside help" while those for the two subsequent years were put together internally.

The third quarter financial report for this year is completed and will be forwarded to parliament soon Read more

Former Minister Roland Tuitt: “Ser Used As Political Football”

St. Maarten – Former Finance Minister Roland Tuitt has lashed out at the Social Economic Council (SER) for its advice that calculates the total write-off of uncollected taxes between 1976 and 2006 at more than 4.4 billion guilders ($2.5 billion). In a statement that sums up ten reasons why there is nothing wrong with his decision to write off the old tax debts, the former minister, a certified public accountant, notes that the receiver ought to be investigated  for breaking the law by instructing employees to collect tax debts older than 2006. Read more

Lee calls on ‘opposition’ to form ‘united coalition’

DAWN BEACH--Democratic Party (DP) candidate hotelier Emil Lee has called on the "opposition" in Parliament, which now includes his party leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams, to form "a united coalition" to provide "quality opposition in Parliament."

Lee was the 12th highest vote getter out of 90 candidates who contested the August 29 Parliamentary Elections and was the third highest vote getter of his party Read more

Parliament to discuss election discrepancies

PHILIPSBURG--Reported discrepancies and issues at polling stations on Election Day, August 29, will be discussed when Members of Parliament (MPs) who were elected on that day meet in a public Central Committee session with the Central Voting Bureau and Civil Registry in Parliament House on Tuesday starting at 2:00pm.

MPs Leona Marlin-Romeo (independent), Tamara Leonard (United People's party) and Cornelius de Weever (Democratic Party) requested the meeting.

In their request letter, the MPs said there had been discrepancies at the Pointe Blanche House of Detention polling station, use of foreign identification for voting, discrepancies in ballot counting at specific polling stations, discrepancies in privacy during the supporting of the candidate lists and discrepancies in the information given to political parties about placement of campaign material.

Points to be brought forward in the meeting are changes in the Electoral Law, increased number of polling stations in 2014 compared to 2010 and implementation of electronic voting, among others.

The parliamentary session is open to the public and will be carried live on St Read more

Sarah tenders her resignation

Parliament Chairwoman Sarah Wescot-Williams caucuses with Parliament Presidium members MPs Cornelius de Weever and Leona Marlin-Romeo on whether she should continue chairing Thursday’s session of Parliament after she submitted her resignation as Parliament head (Rajesh Chintaman photo) Read more

Heyliger says impasse looms

THE HAGUE--St. Maarten’s United People’s Party (UP) Leader Theo Heyliger said in an interview with the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad on Wednesday that an impasse was imminent in the conflict with the Netherlands about the extra screening of the candidate prime minister and ministers Read more

Caretaker Pm Resigns As President Of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - It is now official! President of Parliament, caretaker Prime Minister and leader of the Democratic Party, the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams, who announced during a press conference on Wednesday that she was making her position as president of Parliament available, on Thursday, presented her letter of resignation to the Parliament of St Read more

BIP law approved by Parliament Thursday

PHILIPSBURG--The first formal step in the establishment of the Bureau Intellectual Property (BIP) was cemented Thursday when Parliament approved the law regulating the bureau. All eleven Members of Parliament (MPs) present for the plenary session of Parliament individually voted to adopt the legislation.

The establishment of the bureau has been pending in the form of the draft legislation since the final days of the Netherlands Antilles Parliament. The draft was taken over by the St. Maarten Parliament upon the attainment of country-within-the-Dutch-Kingdom on October 10, 2010.

The meeting to approve this piece of legislation was before Parliament twice before, but the sessions had to be cancelled due to no quorum Read more

Chairlady of Parliament Wescot Williams Resigns from Parliament effective immediately --- MP Lloyd Richardson heading to become an Independent Member of Parliament.

style="text-align: center;"> Is there still a Government in Place? Where does MP Leona Marlin stand?

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams read her letter of resignation from the position as chairlady of Parliament which she said is effective immediately Read more

No Word From The Up Party On Dp Leader Statement

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Leader of the Democratic Party of St. Maarten, Sarah Wescot Williams has shifted her stance in the current coalition of the UP led government.

The leader of the DP, who currently holds the position of President of Parliament, told journalists during a press conference on Wednesday that she is making her position as President of the legislative body available to the UP Party.

However, Mrs Read more

Sarah makes position as Parliament head available

PHILIPSBURG--President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has made her position as head of the legislature available to the United People's (UP) party-led coalition.

This move by Wescot-Williams comes a month and two days after she was appointed to the post on October 10 Read more

Minister candidates submitted to governor

HARBOUR VIEW--The names of the minister candidates for the new cabinet were submitted to Governor Eugene Holiday by formateur United People's (UP) leader Theo Heyliger on Wednesday. The security and judicial screenings of the candidates for the post of prime minister, the six other ministers and minister plenipotentiary has commenced, according to the governor's cabinet.

Holiday and Heyliger met yesterday to discuss the progress of the formation process Read more

style="text-align: center;">Formateur Shuffled the pack again this time appointing Petrus Leroy De Weever as Minister of VSA, the Doc was fooled.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams was fully played by formateur Theodore Heyliger and Democratic Party member Cornelius de Weever Read more

Dp Outlines Role In Coalition Formation Process, Takes A Step Back To Evaluate

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Leader of the Democratic Party (DP) of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams, held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

During the conference the caretaker Prime Minister who also holds the function of President of Parliament, outlined the role that her party played and is playing in the current formation process leading towards a new government for the island led by the UP party and MP Cornelius de Weever.

Formateur MP the Honorable Theo Heyliger who is now not a candidate for Minister, announced that he has submitted the names and dossiers of candidates Ministers to His Excellency the Governor of St Read more

style="text-align: center;">Curacao Policy Advisor to be Appointed Minister of VSA by MP Lloyd Richardson

PHILIPSBURG:--- Two months and days after the August 29th Parliamentary Elections there is still no Government on St. Maarten and while the Governor of St. Maarten has extended the formation period for the UPP/De Weever/Marlin coalition to appoint a Ministerial cabinet Read more

Aruba instruction causes standoff

THE HAGUE--The debate with Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Thursday to discuss the financial supervision in the Dutch Caribbean resulted in a clash with the governing parties VVD and PvdA, the Socialist Party (SP) on one side and the Democratic Party D66 on the other side.

The meeting called for by the Second Chamber’s Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations focused on the July 2014 instruction of the Kingdom Council of Ministers to Aruba’s Governor Fredis Refunjol not to sign the 2014 budget until it had been thoroughly screened by outside experts Read more

No quorum stalls meeting on Intellectual Property Bureau

PHILIPSBURG--Only six Members of Parliament (MPs) were signed in for the plenary session of Parliament to formalise the Intellectual Property Bureau on Wednesday afternoon, two short of the quorum of eight MPs needed for the meeting to start.

The meeting now will have to be reconvened by Chairwoman of Parliament MP Sarah Wescot-Williams within four days (four times 24 hours) as stipulated by Parliament's Rules of Order Read more

Aruba instruction focus in today’s Parliament debate

THE HAGUE--The Democratic Party D66 in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament and the liberal democratic VVD party will be diametrically opposing each other on the validity of the July 2014 instruction to Aruba during a debate with Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk today, Thursday.

The finances of the Aruba Government will prominently feature in today's meeting which takes place at the request of the Second Chamber's Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations to discuss financial supervision in the Dutch Kingdom, including St Read more

Prominent Lawyer Allegedly Failed Screening due to Molestation Investigation.

style="text-align: center;"> Coalition dispute ongoing

PHILIPSBURG:--- Well placed sources have informed SMN News that a prominent lawyer on St. Maarten has failed the screening process to become a Minister in the UP/DP/ Marlin coalition. SMN News learnt that the candidate is allegedly under investigation for molesting a teenager. According to the information SMN News received a relative of the victim filed charges against the prominent citizen and lawyer on St. Maarten about two months ago Read more

Marcel Gumbs tipped to be prime minister

PHILIPSBURG--It appears United People's (UP) party leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger will stick to his seat in Parliament instead of opting to become prime minister of the new UP/Democratic Party/Marlin-Romeo coalition.

Veteran politician Marcel Gumbs has been tipped as a possible candidate for prime minister Read more

Why US green groups are talking about abortion this election

DENVER--Green billionaire Tom Steyer vowed to make the November congressional elections about climate change. Now he's talking about abortion and the economy to get his candidates across the finish line.

Steyer, a hedge fund manager turned environmentalist, launched a state-of-the-art operation to push voters to elect governors and senators willing to confront global warming. His NextGen Climate Action political committee is on track to spend more than $55 million in this election - an unprecedented amount for an environmentalist group.

But NextGen and other green groups are not talking about climate change as much as one would expect Read more

Bosman: Council of State members are out of place

THE HAGUE--Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament André Bosman of the liberal democratic VVD party is highly critical of the legal objections expressed by Members of the Council of State for the Kingdom to the instruction that the Kingdom Council of Ministers gave to Aruba in July this year. Bosman deemed their position "highly inappropriate."

The Antilliaans Dagblad newspaper on Tuesday reported that Members of the Council of State for the Kingdom Antonito "Mito" Croes of Aruba and Robert Vornis of Curaçao, as well as Member of the Council of State in extraordinary service for the Caribbean Netherlands Frits Goedgedrag, were all against the instruction.

The newspaper stated that Croes referred to the instruction given to Aruba Governor Fredis Refunjol to hold off on ratifying the country's 2014 budget until an independent screening had taken place, as a decision that held no legal grounds.

Vornis was said to have expressed his support for Aruba Prime Minister Mike Eman in a Twitter message shortly after the instruction, while Goedgedrag stated in a recent report as Chairman of Aruba's Council of Advice that the instruction lacked legal grounds and was against the Kingdom Charter and the Regulation of the Governor.

Member of Parliament (MP) Bosman questioned the position of the Members of the Council of State and posed written questions on Tuesday to Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk about the newspaper article Read more