Gilmar Simon Pisas (born 28 February 1971) is a Curaçaoan politician and current
Prime Minister of Curaçao
The Prime Minister of Curaçao is the head of government of Curaçao. The post was created after the Netherlands Antilles had been dissolved on 10 October 2010 and Curaçao became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Prime Ministe ...
, serving since 14 June 2021. He previously served as Prime Minister between 24 March 2017 and 29 May 2017, and as a member of the
Parliament of Curaçao
The Parliament of Curaçao ( pap, Parlamento di Kòrsou, nl, Staten van Curaçao) consist of 21 members, each elected for a four-year term in a general election. Curaçao president of parliament is Charetti America-Francisca. The first Parliament ...
until June 2021.
Early life and career
Pisas was born on 28 October 1971. Before becoming involved in politics, he worked as a
police officer
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
.
Political career
Pisas was elected into the
Parliament of Curaçao
The Parliament of Curaçao ( pap, Parlamento di Kòrsou, nl, Staten van Curaçao) consist of 21 members, each elected for a four-year term in a general election. Curaçao president of parliament is Charetti America-Francisca. The first Parliament ...
in the
2016 election. On 17 February 2017, Pisas was elected Speaker of Parliament, succeeding
Giselle McWilliam.
First Pisas cabinet
On 24 March 2017, Pisas was sworn in as Prime Minister by
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Lucille George-Wout
Lucille Andrea George-Wout (born 29 February 1950) is a Curaçaoan politician currently serving as the second governor of Curaçao since 4 November 2013.
Political career
George-Wout was a member of parliament for the Partido MAN in the Island C ...
, succeeding
Hensley Koeiman
Hensley Felix Koeiman (born 21 May 1956) is a Curaçaoan politician who served as the 6th Prime Minister of Curaçao between 23 December 2016 and 24 March 2017. A member of the Partido MAN, he was Minister of Social Affairs, Employment and Welfare ...
.
His interim cabinet received support by 12 of the 21 MPs. It included those belonging to the MFK,
Korsou di Nos Tur,
Movementu Progresivo,
Sovereign People
Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, who are the source of all political power. Popular sovereignty, being a principle, does not imply any ...
and the independent MPs Gassan Dannawi and Eduard Braam.
Pisas was positioned as interim prime minister, pending the screening of
Charles Cooper. Pisas was succeeded as Speaker of Parliament by
Amerigo Thodé
Amerigo C.M. Thodé (born 27 July 1950) is a Curaçaoan politician of the Movement for the Future of Curaçao (MFK). He served as President of the Estates of Curaçao between November and December 2012 and once again from 24 March 2017 and 11 May ...
.
Re-election as Member of Parliament
Pisas was re-elected as MP in the
2017 election. On 6 June 2020, he was elected as the leader of the
Movement for the Future of Curaçao
The Movement for the Future of Curaçao ( nl, Beweging voor de Toekomst van Curaçao, pap, Movementu Futuro Kòrsou, MFK) is a political party in Curaçao, founded by Gerrit Schotte in 2010, which has 9 of the 21 seats in the Estates of Curaçao ...
(MFK). Being the leader of the largest opposition party in parliament, Pisas demanded the resignation of the
Rhuggenaath cabinet in July 2020, stating that it was not supported by a parliamentary majority. In September 2020, in response to the need for Dutch financial support related to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Curaçao
The COVID-19 pandemic in Curaçao is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was documented for the first time in Curaçao on 13 March 2020. The case was a 68-year-old man who was on vacation fro ...
, Pisas showed some support for a Caribbean Reform Entity (Dutch: ''Caribische Hervormingsentiteit (CHE)''), but stated that proposed term of the CHE was too extensive.
Second Pisas cabinet
Following the
2021 election, the second Pisas cabinet was sworn in on 14 June 2021 by the Governor of Curaçao as successor to the
Rhuggenaath cabinet. It is a coalition government of the parties
Movement for the Future of Curaçao
The Movement for the Future of Curaçao ( nl, Beweging voor de Toekomst van Curaçao, pap, Movementu Futuro Kòrsou, MFK) is a political party in Curaçao, founded by Gerrit Schotte in 2010, which has 9 of the 21 seats in the Estates of Curaçao ...
(MFK) and
National People's Party (PNP).
Controversies
Shortly after the formation of the Pisas cabinet, Pisas appealed to the governor that the
planned 28 April elections should be cancelled.
[ Pisas stated that a new majority had been formed in Parliament and that there was thus no need for new elections. a majority in parliament appealed to the ]European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...
(ECHR) to allow the election to be cancelled. The petition to the ECHR was dismissed by the court on 29 March. the ECHR rejected the petition.
A resolution was passed in Parliament on 27 March, calling for the cancelling or postponing of the elections. Governor George-Wout refused to sign the resolution, cited it "seriously impaired legal certainty and good governance". The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands proposed, by use of an , to task Governor George-Wout with responsibility for holding the elections. Minister of Interior and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk
Ronald Hans Anton Plasterk (; born 12 April 1957) is a Dutch scientist, entrepreneur and retired politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). He has earned a PhD degree in biology, specialised in molecular genetics. Being a former Minister of the Du ...
stated that the "interim cabinet severely damaged the integrity of the electoral process" and asked the Council of State
A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
for an urgent advice. On 3 April the Council of State gave a positive advice for the proposed measures. The proposed measures were formally taken by the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands the same day. In response to the actions by the Council of Ministers Pisas stated: "the Netherlands is biased" and that the Netherlands was behind the parties opposing his coalition. He regretted the decision by the Council and called it unnecessary.
On 28 April, Pisas submitted the resignation of his cabinet to the Governor. On 29 May the Pisas cabinet was succeeded by that of Eugene Rhuggenaath
From the 29th of May 2017 until the 14th of June 2021, Eugene Rhuggenaath (born 4 February 1970) was the Curaçaoan 7tPrime ministerbefore Gilmar Pisas won the 2021 elections. He previously served as Minister for Economic Development in the Koei ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pisas, Gilmar
1971 births
Living people
Prime Ministers of Curaçao
Presidents of the Estates of Curaçao
Members of the Estates of Curaçao
Ministers of Justice of Curaçao
Movement for the Future of Curaçao politicians