SXMElections.com

~ Two seats each for PLP, (DP), one for UPC ~

ST. EUSTATIUS--St. Eustatius voters opted for a coalition government in Wednesday’s Island Council elections, as none of the six parties in the polls emerged with the needed three or more seats in the Island Council.

Talks about forming a coalition government are said to have commenced already among parties.

The Progressive Labour Party (PLP) led by Clyde van Putten captured two seats after receiving 481 votes, the most for any party. The party had no seats in the incumbent coalition after its one Island Council member opted to go independent more than a year ago.

Democratic Party ((DP)) St. Eustatius led by Adelka Spanner tied with PLP with two seats after receiving 473 votes. Whether (DP), which is currently in the opposition benches of the Island Council, will stay there will hinge on whether it can form a coalition with PLP or with Reginald Zaandam’s United People’s Coalition (UPC).

UPC received a total of 242 votes, enough to hold on to its one seat in the Island Council.

The other three political parties in the race failed to muster enough votes to capture a seat.

“Blanko List,” as the nameless party of former Commissioner Glenn Schmidt called, received 182 votes, falling short of the minimum 237 votes needed for a seat.

St. Eustatius Empowerment Party (STEP) of incumbent Island Councilman Franklin Brown received 133 votes, short of the seat quota. Therefore, he will not be returning to the Island Council.

Statia Liberal Action Movement (SLAM), an election newcomer, received 66 votes, the least of any party in the election. The party is headed by incumbent Island Council member Millicent Lijfrock-Marsdin.

Emerging as Island Council members are Clyde van Putten (251 votes) and Charles Woodley (64 votes) of PLP; Koos Sneek (135 votes) and Adelka Spanner (134 votes) of (DP); and Rueben Merkman of UPC with 104 votes.

Van Putten is the highest vote-getter of the elections, followed by Sneek and Spanner.

Island Governor Gerald Berkel announced the results Wednesday night.

Polls closed around to 10:30pm instead of 9:00pm to accommodate the flow of last-minute voters at the Lions Den, the island’s one polling station. When polls finally closed a total of 1,594 ballots had been cast. Of those, eight were invalid ballots and six were blank.

The election saw a 65.5 per cent voter turnout.