At Stake in this Election: 

• All 15 seats in the Sint Maarten Parliament 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER (since 30 April 2013)  

• Represented by Governor Ajamu G. BALY (since 10 October 2022) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Silveria JACOBS (since 28 March 2020) 

• Assembly: unicameral Parliament with 15 seats 

Electoral System:  

• The King is a hereditary monarch. 

• The Governor is appointed by the King to serve 6-year terms. 

• The Prime Minister, typically the parliamentary majority leader, is indirectly elected by Parliament. 

• In Parliament, all 15 members are directly elected by proportional representation vote and serve 4-year terms. 

Last Election: 

In the 2018 parliamentary election, the United Democrats won the largest share of seats (7) followed by the National Alliance (5) and two other parties. Voter turnout was 62%. 

Information for Voters: 

2024 Parliamentary Election (in English) 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 22 November 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: 14 November 2023 

Main Parties in this Election: 

• National Alliance 

• Leader: Silveria E. JACOBS 

• Seats won in last election: 5 out of 15 

• United Sint Maarten Party 

• Leader: Pamela GORDON-CARTY 

• Seats won in last election: 2 out of 15 

• National Opportunity Wealth 

• Leader: Christophe T. EMMANUEL 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 15 

• Empire Culture Empowerment Association 

• Leader: Nigel Emmanuel WIGLEY 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 15 

• United People Party 

• Leader: Rolando BRISON 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 15 

• Party for Progress 

• Leader: Melissa D. GUMBS 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 15 

• Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement 

• Leader: Luc F. E. MERCELINA 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 15 

• Democratic Party / (DP) 

• Leader: Sarah Agatha WILLIAMS 

• Seats won in last election: 0 out of 15 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 42,850 (2022) 

• Registered Voters: 22,553 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 19,910 (2022) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 23 July 1991 (by the Netherlands; Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 6 out of 15 (40%) in Parliament  

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 14 June 2016 (by the Netherlands; Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) 

• Projected population with a disability: 6,856 (2022 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Sint Maarten: No  

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 1 judgement