Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the nort ...

, a constituent country 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 = ...

, has a government formed by the

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

, represented by the

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 ...

, and the ministers. 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 i ...

presides the council of ministers.

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 b ...

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 a ...

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 ...

and parliament. The

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 the ...

is not part of the government and represents the Sint Maarten government in the Netherlands. 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. The country is a

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

representative democratic

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 ...

with 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 ...

. Sint Maarten 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 th ...

under the title " Kingdom affairs". The

Constitution of Sint Maarten The Constitution of Sint Maarten (Dutch: ''Staatsregeling van Sint Maarten'') was unanimously adopted by the island council of Sint Maarten on 21 July 2010.RNW.nl Eilandsraad Sint Maarten unaniem achter staatsregeling/ref> The constitution enter ...

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

Political movements

Currently, there is a movement in Sint Maarten which aims to unite the island of Saint Martin.

Government

Executive power

Executive power rests with a governor, and a

heads a Cabinet. The

governor of Sint Maarten The governor of Sint Maarten is the representative on Sint Maarten of the Dutch head of state (King Willem-Alexander). The governor's duties are twofold: he represents and guards the general interests of the kingdom and is head of the governmen ...

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. , 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 Beat ...

, , 30 April 2013 , - ,

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 ...

Ajamu Baly Ajamu Baly is a Sint Maarten politician currently serving as the second governor of Sint Maarten since 10 October 2022. Early life and career Ajamu Baly was born on St. Maarten, he attended Sister Borgia Elementary School in Philipsburg and sub ...

, , 10 October 2022 The current cabinet is the

Jacobs cabinet The Jacobs cabinet was the 9th cabinet of Sint Maarten. It was part of the executive branch of the Sint Maarten Government and was formed by members of the National Alliance and the United St. Maarten Party. It was followed by the second Jacobs c ...

formed on 19 November 2019. It is the ninth since Sint Maarten became a country within the

on 10 October 2010. ,

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 i ...

Silveria Jacobs Silveria Elfrieda Jacobs (born 31 July 1968) is a Sint Maarten politician and the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten . Early life and education Silveria Elfrieda Jacobs was born on 31 July 1968 on Aruba to Nadia Willemsberg. As a child, Jacobs a ...

, NA , 19 November 2019 , - , Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure ,

Egbert J. Doran Egbert is a name that derives from old Germanic words meaning "bright edge", such as that of a blade. Anglo-Saxon variant spellings include Ecgberht () and Ecgbert. German variant spellings include Ekbert and Ecbert. People with the first name Mi ...

, NA , 28 March 2020 , - , Minister of Finance , Ardwell Irion , NA , 19 November 2019 , - ,

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Anna E. Richardson Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 122 ...

, NA , 28 March 2020 , - , Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications ,

Roger A. Lawrence Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...

, UP , 26 August 2021 , - , Minister of Public Health, Labor and Social Affairs , Omar E.C. Ottley , UP , 20 April 2021 , - , Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports , drs. Rodolphe E. Samuel , NA , 28 March 2020 , - ,

Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten The Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten ( nl, Gevolmachtigd Minister van Sint Maarten) represents the constituent country of Sint Maarten in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The current Minister Plenipotentiary is R ...

, Rene Violenus , NA , 28 March 2020

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

References

{{reflist

External links

http://www.sintmaartengov.org
- Official Web site