The government of

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

, a "constituent country" ( nl, land) of the

Kingdom of the Netherlands , national_anthem = ) , image_map = Kingdom of the Netherlands (orthographic projection).svg , map_width = 250px , image_map2 = File:KonDerNed-10-10-10.png , map_caption2 = Map of the four constituent countries shown to scale , capital = ...

, takes place in a framework of a

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...

representative democratic Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

, whereby the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

is the

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

, and of a

multi-party system In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coal ...

Executive power The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ba ...

is exercised by the government.

Legislative power A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

is vested in both the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

and parliament. The

judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

is independent of the executive and the legislature.

has full autonomy on most matters, with the exceptions summed up in the

Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands The Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands (in Dutch: ''Statuut voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden''; in Papiamentu: ''Statuut di Reino Hulandes'') is a legal instrument that sets out the political relationship between the four countries tha ...

under the title " Kingdom affairs". The

Constitution of Curaçao Curaçao is one of the three autonomous countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (with Aruba and Sint Maarten, Saint-Martin). It has a constitution (Dutch language, Dutch: ''staatsregelingen'') which governs its constitutional organization and w ...

was ratified in September 2010, and entered into force on 10 October 2010 upon the

dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010. After dissolution, the "BES islands" of the Dutch Caribbean—Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba—became th ...

Executive power

Executive power rests with a governor, and a

heads a Cabinet. The

governor of Curaçao The governor of Curaçao ( nl, gouverneur van Curaçao; pap, gobernador di Kòrsou) is the representative on Curaçao of the Dutch head of state (King Willem-Alexander). The governor's duties are twofold: representing and guarding the general in ...

is appointed for a six-year term by the

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

(on from 2013:

King Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beatr ...

), and the prime minister and deputy prime minister are elected by the Staten for four-year terms.

Cabinet

The cabinet was sworn in on 7 June 2013, and was characterized as a "political" cabinet, set to complete the full term of parliament. The cabinet is based on a majority in the

Estates of Curaçao Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representati ...

of the parties PS,

PAIS : Pais is a red wine grape that has played a prominent role in the Chilean wine industry. Up until the turn of the 21st century, it was Chile's most planted variety until it was overtaken by Cabernet Sauvignon. Today it is most commonly used in t ...

and PNP, as well independent member

Glenn Sulvaran Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement i ...

(formerly PAR) ,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Ivar Asjes Ivar Onno Odwin Asjes (born 16 September 1970 in Rotterdam) is a Curaçaoan politician who served as the 4th Prime Minister of Curaçao from 7 June 2013 to 31 August 2015. He resigned after losing a vote of no-confidence. before becoming prime mini ...

, PS , 7 June 2013 , - , Minister of Economic Development , Stanley Palm ,

, 7 June 2013 , - , Minister of Finance ,

José Jardim José Manuel Norberto Jardim (born 24 April 1973) is a Curaçaoan politician, he was Minister of Finance from 31 December 2012 to 23 December 2016. Jardim has served under four out of six Prime Ministers of Curaçao. Before becoming Minister Jardi ...

, , 31 December 2012 , - , Minister of Health, Environment, and Nature , Denzil (Ben) Whiteman , PS , 31 December 2012 , - , Minister of Government Policy, Planning and Services ,

Etienne van der Horst Etienne van der Horst (born 28 August 1958) is a Curaçaoan politician. A member of the Partido pa Adelanto I Inovashon Soshal, he was Minister of Government Policy, Planning and Service from 31 December 2012 to 23 December 2016. Career Van der ...

, 31 December 2012 , - , Minister of Justice ,

Nelson Navarro Nelson Navarro (born 19 January 1949) is a Curaçaoan jurist and politician. He was Minister of Justice of Curaçao from December 2012 to December 2016. Biography Navarro was born in 1949 and went to high school in Curaçao. In 1976 he earned a ...

, 31 December 2012 , - , Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports , Irene Dick , PS , 27 December 2013 , - , Minister of Social Development, Labor and Welfare , Jeanne Francisca , PS , 7 June 2013 , - , Minister of Traffic, Transport and urban Planning , Earl Winston Balborda , PNP , 31 December 2012 , - ,

Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under th ...

, Marvelyne Wiels , PS , 7 June 2013

Legislative power

Legislative power is shared by the government and the legislature. The legislature or

( nl, Staten) is made up of 21 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms. The current composition is shown below

Judicial power

Curaçao's judicial system, which has mainly been derived from the Dutch civil law system, operates independently of the legislature and the executive. It has one court of first instance: the Gerecht in Eerste Aanleg, Curaçao, and an appeal court the

Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba The Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba ( nl, Gemeenschappelijk Hof van Justitie van Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten en van Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba) serves the three Caribbean countr ...

, which it shares with the other Dutch entities in the Caribbean. No appeal is possible to decisions of the Joint Court of Justice, but fundamental "questions of law" may be submitted to the

Supreme Court of the Netherlands The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ( nl, Hoge Raad der Nederlanden or simply ''Hoge Raad''), officially the High Council of the Netherlands, is the final court of appeal in civil, criminal and tax cases in the Netherlands, including Curaçao ...

and the

Hoge Raad der Nederlanden The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ( nl, Hoge Raad der Nederlanden or simply ''Hoge Raad''), officially the High Council of the Netherlands, is the final court of appeal in civil, criminal and tax cases in the Netherlands, including Curaçao ...

cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In th ...

. Verdicts by those institutions may lead to a new decision of the Joint Court, taking into account the results of the cassation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Government of Curacao Politics of Curaçao