Government of Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Sint Maarten

The government of Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is 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.

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 Eugene Holiday 10 October 2010

The current cabinet is the Second Marlin-Romeo cabinet formed on 25 June 2018. It is the eight since Sint Maarten became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10 October 2010.[1]

Main office holders
Office Name Party Since
Prime Minister Leona Marlin-Romeo UD 25 June 2018
Minister of Housing, Physical Planning, and Environment Miklos Gitterson UD 25 June 2018
Minister of Finance Perry Geerlings UD 25 June 2018
Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever UD 25 June 2018
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Stuart Johnson UD 25 June 2018
Minister of Healthcare, Social Development, and Labor Emil Lee UD 25 June 2018
Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports Wycliffe Smith SMCP 25 June 2018
Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten Jorien Wuite UD 25 June 2018
Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten Michael Somersall SMCP 25 June 2018

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 Justice in 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.[2] However, there is no indication as to how demographic groups, such as women, have fared in the legal field.

References

  1. ↑ "Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin leads new Government". Soualiga Newsday. 25 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Leden & Bestuur | Orde van Advocaten". barsxm.com. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
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