August 2024 Sint Maarten general election


Snap general elections were held in Sint Maarten on 19 August 2024, following the early dissolution of the parliament elected in January.

Background

Following the January 2024 general elections a four-party government was formed by the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement, the Democratic Party, the Party for Progress and Nation Opportunity Wealth, all of which had won two seats. As the URSM received the most votes of the four, its leader Luc Mercelina became prime minister. Elected members took office on 10 February 2024, and Mercelina took the oath of office on 3 May. However, the government collapsed 18 days later when NOW MP Kevin Maingrette resigned from his party and left the coalition to join the opposition. This crossing the floor cost the coalition its majority, leading Mercelina to dissolve parliament and call snap elections. However, on 27 May, Maingrette withdrew his support for the opposition and expressed support for the Mercelina administration again despite still sitting as an independent. However, the elections remained scheduled. On 2 July, Maingrette announced he would not seek re-election, and on 12 July was arrested and his house scheduled to be searched following possible involvement in bribery prior to his time as an MP.

Electoral system

Per the Constitution of Sint Maarten, the number of members in the Estates is determined by the following scale, dependent on the population:
  • population ≤60,000: 15 seats
  • population 60,001 to 70,000: 17 seats
  • population 70,001 to 80,000: 19 seats
  • population 80,001+: 21 seats
As the population was estimated to be 41,349 as of 1 January 2024, the number of mandates to be contested in this election is 15. The members are elected by open list proportional representation for a four-year term. The voting age is 18, and candidates standing must be a resident of the island, a Dutch national, 18 years of age or older, and must not have been disqualified from voting. Elected members may not stay outside the country for more than eight months, or their mandate lapses, and must not be the spouse or a second-degree relative of another member. In order to participate in the election, new parties and parties without a seat in parliament are required to obtain at least 144 signatures; 1% of the valid votes of the prior elections.

Aftermath

Theoretically, the original coalition formed following the election in January between the URSM, DP, PFP, and NOW would still have enough seats for a majority if they wished to continue under the prior agreement. However, on 22 August, it was announced that the URSM, DP, PFP, and SAM had agreed to form a governing coalition, with Mercelina likely returning as prime minister.
On 6 September, Governor Ajamu Baly appointed Mercelina as formateur. On 6 November, Mercelina announced a 7 member cabinet, with 2 ministerial positions each for URSM, DP, and PFP and 1 position for SAM. The second Mercelina cabinet included four returning ministers from the previous cabinet and three newcomers. The new cabinet was sworn in on 26 November.