Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has a government formed by the monarch, represented by the governor, and the ministers. The prime minister presides the council of ministers. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The minister plenipotentiary is not part of the government and represents the Sint Maarten government in the Netherlands. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The country is a parliamentary representative democratic country with a multi-party system. Sint Maarten has full autonomy on most matters, with the exceptions summed up in the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands under the title "Kingdom affairs". The Constitution of Sint Maarten was ratified in September 2010, and entered into force on 10 October 2010.

Political movements

Currently, there is a movement in Sint Maarten which aims to unite the island of Saint Martin.[1]

Government

Executive power

Executive power rests with a governor, and a prime minister heads a Cabinet. The governor of Sint Maarten is appointed for a six-year term by the monarch, and the prime minister and deputy prime minister are elected by the Staten for four-year terms.

Main office-holders
Office Name Party Since
King Willem-Alexander 30 April 2013
Governor Ajamu Baly 10 October 2022

The current cabinet is the Jacobs cabinet formed on 19 November 2019. It is the ninth since Sint Maarten became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10 October 2010.[2]

Main office-holders
Office Name Party Since
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs NA 19 November 2019
Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Egbert J. Doran NA 28 March 2020
Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion NA 19 November 2019
Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson NA 28 March 2020
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Roger A. Lawrence UP 26 August 2021
Minister of Public Health, Labor and Social Affairs Omar E.C. Ottley UP 20 April 2021
Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports drs. Rodolphe E. Samuel NA 28 March 2020
Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten Rene Violenus NA 28 March 2020

Legislative power

Legislative power is shared by the government and the legislature. The legislature or Staten is made up of 15 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms.

Judicial power

Sint Maarten's judicial system, which has mainly been derived from the Dutch system, operates independently of the legislature and the executive. Jurisdiction, including appeal, lies with the Common Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba and the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.

Sint Maarten is the only part of the Netherlands where laws can be evaluated against the constitution. Such an evaluation is performed by the Constitutional Court of Sint Maarten after a request by the Ombudsman of Sint Maarten after the law is passed.

As for the legal profession, the Order of Lawyers Sint Maarten (Orde van Advocaten Sint Maarten) has existed since 1989.[3] However, there is no indication as to how demographic groups, such as women, have fared in the legal field.

References

  1. ↑ Badejo, Fabian Adekunle (25 December 2004). "The reunification of St. Martin: A pipe dream or an inevitable choice?". House of Nehesi Publishers.
  2. ↑ "St. Maarten has new government". The Daily Herald. 19 November 2019.
  3. ↑ "Leden & Bestuur | Orde van Advocaten". barsxm.com. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
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