Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April
1980), represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1
July 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26
March 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature)
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections,
the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister
by the Staten; election last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held
by 2007)
note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP St. Maarten, UP Bonaire,
WIPM Saba, DP Statia
Legislative branch:
unicameral States or Staten (22 seats - Curacao 14, Bonaire 3, St.
Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB
2, DP St. E 1, DP St. M 1, BDP 1, WIPM 1
note: the government of Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE is a
coalition of several parties
Judicial branch:
Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM];
Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]
Curacao: Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic
Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO];
Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson
PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles
Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I
Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or
PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily
de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE
LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS];
Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT]
Saba: Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands
People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]
Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E
[Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St.
Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD]
Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah
WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party
[Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN];
People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St.
Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party
[Bienvenido RICHARDSON]
note: political parties are indigenous to each island
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Unions (AVBO) and Employers Association (VBC)
International organization participation:
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO,
WToO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON
consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao
mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone: [599] (9) 4613066
FAX: [599] (9) 4616489
Flag description:
white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on
a vertical red band, also centered; five white, five-pointed stars
are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the
five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao,
Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten