Postulation Day is Friday, July 11. The lists of candidates have to be submitted to the Central Voting Bureau by the respective representatives or acting representatives of the political parties, who have to be registered in that capacity with the Central Voting Bureau.
The political parties were informed that they have to indicate the names and contact information of their representative and the acting representative to the Central Voting Bureau in advance, in order for these persons to be duly registered with the Central Voting Bureau.
The Central Voting Bureau also requested each party to indicate a preferred time on Postulation Day (between the hours of 9 am – 4 pm) in order to allow the Central Voting Bureau to set up a timetable for the submission of the lists of candidates by the various political parties.
A copy of the Ministerial Decree nr. 2014/1186, regulating the colors which can be assigned to the various lists of candidates was also provided to the various political parties.
The Central Voting Bureau merely executes the procedures as regulated by and stipulated in the applicable laws and regulations. It is the Central Voting Bureau’s duty to ensure the proper execution of the applicable procedures.
As an example, the matter of the required support (“ondersteuning”) for the lists of candidates, based on article 23, section 1, of the Electoral Ordinance (“Kiesverordening”) was not really clear and could be interpreted more than one manner because there is no literally “previous voting number” as this will actually be the first time elections are held for Parliament/Country St. Maarten.
The previous voting number was for elections for the Island Council. However, the Central Voting Bureau decided to use the previous voting number as it was clearly the intention of the legislator that the voting number of the previous elections is used, regardless of the fact that this time it’s for Members of Parliament.
In close cooperation with the census office and the Ministry of General Affairs it was decided to have 14 booths available at the census office on July 14th to accommodate a smooth and orderly endorsement process for the eight political parties. Based on article 23, section 1, of the Electoral Ordinance (“Kiesverordening”) and considering the intention of the legislator, the support requirement (endorsement requirement) has been set to 138 voters, which is a requirement that all political parties will have to comply with.
The Central Voting Bureau is an institution enacted by Government to execute the voting and election procedures as stipulated and regulated in the Electoral Ordinance.
The Central Voting Bureau operates independently from Parliament and Government. Its general function is to ensure that the entire election process, which includes the postulation, the voting and the determination of the outcome of the election, is conducted in accordance with the applicable laws.
The appointed members and substitute members are: Jason R. Rogers LL.M., Chairman; Willem van Asselt, Vice-Chairlady; Cindy M. Marica LL.M., member; Maarten le Poole LL.M., member; Clarence Richardson, member; Migdala R. Artsen – Clarinda, LL.M, substitute member; and Khalilah S. Peters, substitute member.
The members and substitute members were appointed by national decree for a period of seven (7) years, considering their relevant expertise and experience.
The appointment is based on the recommendation of the nomination committee, which consists of the president of the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, the Vice-Chair of the Council of Advice and the Chair of the General Audit Chamber.