Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
HARBOUR VIEW--After the swearing in of the “Halloween†Parliament on October 31, it now looks as though the country will get a Christmas Government.
Governor Eugene Holiday has tasked National Alliance (NA) leader Prime Minister William Marlin with delivering a final report on the formation of a new Council of Ministers, reflecting the newly formed red, white and blue coalition, by December 12. This report should contain the information about the minister candidates.
This new mandate comes after (NA) pulled the plug on the coalition formed with the United People’s (UP) party on Wednesday and joined forces with the Democratic Party (DP) and the United St. Maarten Party (US Party).
The Governor met with Marlin on Friday after consultations on Thursday with various stakeholders, including Vice Chairwoman of the Council of Advice Mavis Brooks-Salmon. He requested Marlin to form a new Government which has the support of a broad majority in Parliament to foster political stability, one that consists of ministers who are committed to the promotion of the wellbeing of St. Maarten and who are dedicated to jointly execute a governing accord, to be agreed upon by the coalition partners NA, USP and DP.
Considering the challenges facing the country, the Governor requested the formateur to form a new Government which will give priority to realizing sustainable public finances, the improvement of our environment with an emphasis on realizing waste management solutions, to further improving the access to and quality of health care, and to securing the safety and security on St. Maarten.
The Governor further emphasized the importance of the strict observance of the regulatory requirements including the screening criteria, applicable to the appointment for minister candidates.
