The five newly established political parties had an audience with governor Drs. Eugene Holiday on Friday to discuss their request to let elections take place on February 9 as originally planned.
The Christian Party, Millennial Advancement Party, St. Maarten Development Movement, Beyond SXM and Hope received a satisfactory explanation from the governor, they said in a joint press statement.
The reasons for pushing the elections back to September are the country’s dire financial situation, the kingdom instruction and the matter of ship jumping.
The five parties wonder if eight months is enough to solve the financial crisis. The parties say they support electoral reform, but point out that the issue of ship jumping goes deeper than legislation. “It has to do with the individual Members of Parliament. Ship jumping questions their loyalty, integrity and honesty to their respective parties and to the people of St. Maarten,” the parties stated.
The parties say that there is enough time for electoral reform, but that constitutional reform is a lengthy process that requires a two-third majority in parliament.
New parties: enough time for electoral reform
