Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm)
National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
Constitution: 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the
Netherlands, as amended
Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English
common law influence
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April
1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since NA October
1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 25 February
1994)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed with the advice and approval
of the unicameral legislature
Legislative branch: unicameral
Staten: elections last held on 25 February 1994 (next to be held March
1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (23 total) PAR
8, PNP 3, SPA 2, PDB 2, UPB 1, MAN 2, DP 1, WIPM 1, DP-St.E 1, DP-St.M
1, Nos Patria 1
note: the government of Prime Minister Miguel POURIER is a coalition
of several parties
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice
Political parties and leaders: political parties are indigenous to
each island
Bonaire: Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), Rudy ELLIS; Democratic
Party of Bonaire (PDB), Franklin CRESTIAN
Curacao: Antillean Restructuring Party (PAR), Miguel POURIER; National
People's Party (PNP), Maria LIBERIA-PETERS; New Antilles Movement
(MAN), Domenico Felip Don MARTINA; Workers' Liberation Front (FOL),
Wilson (Papa) GODETT; Socialist Independent (SI), George HUECK and
Nelson MONTE; Democratic Party of Curacao (DP), Augustin DIAZ; Nos
Patria, Chin BEHILIA
Saba: Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM Saba), Will JOHNSON;
Saba Democratic Labor Movement, Vernon HASSELL; Saba Unity Party,
Carmen SIMMONDS
Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius (DP-St.E), K. Van
PUTTEN; Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM); St. Eustatius
Alliance (SEA), Ralph BERKEL
Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten (DP-St.M), Claude
WATHEY; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten (SPA), Vance JAMES
Member of: CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL,
IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO, WTO (associate)