ANPWoman votes in parliamentary elections on Sint Maarten
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:49
The elections in Sint Maarten were narrowly won by the party of former Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs. The preliminary results show that her party, the National Alliance, received 2264 votes. The number two, URSM of the current Prime Minister Luc Mercelina, received 2230 votes.
The parliament of Sint Maarten, a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has 15 seats. After yesterday’s elections, there are seven parties that will enter parliament. Three parties have won three seats. The turnout is 60 percent lower than last time.
Everything points to former teacher Jacobs being allowed to form a new government. Jacobs was already prime minister of two governments between 2019 and 2024.
shot at
The elections had a tragic run-up. In July, novice politician Olivier Arrindell was shot. His wife was killed. The politician and his daughter were injured.
The investigation into the attack is still ongoing, but according to Mercelina there are no indications that it was politically motivated. Nevertheless, there were many security measures and yesterday officers from Sint Maarten, Curacao, Aruba and the BES islands patrolled the streets of the capital Philipsburg.
Furthermore, checks were made for possession of weapons and traffic was monitored. Election day passed off peacefully, with no major incidents reported.
Arrindell’s party, OMC, did not get enough votes for a seat.
It was the second time in a year that the people of Sint Maarten were allowed to vote in parliamentary elections. In early May, the island got a new government that had been formed with great difficulty, but seventeen days later the cabinet had already fallen.
