Stresses that the financing of political parties and candidates are responsibility of political parties
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams emphasized the function of the electoral council and the laws regulating elections during her One on One with the Prime Minister Radio Program on Friday. The Prime Minister stressed that the electoral council is in place and functioning and that numerous considerations need to be taken into account prior to the upcoming elections: The electoral council is one of the important bodies that has been created by law as part of the entire electoral process. The electoral council, which is chaired by attorney Bert Hoffman is the body to which political parties submit their request for registration. Over the last couple of weeks on our sister island of Curacao there have also been issues with regards to political parties registering etc. On St. Maarten political parties need to be an association and this is not yet the case on Curacao. A political party on Curacao is suggesting now that political parties need to be an association so in that respect St. Maarten is a step ahead.
"It is with this law in mind that I have been stressing over the last months the need for us to look more closely at political parties vis a vis candidates who run on political lists. According to the law the entire finances of political parties need to take limitations into account and this also extends to candidates. More so than in the past where individual candidates have been doing there own thing so to speak political parties and their candidates need to act according to the law with the political parties having the overall responsibility," stressed Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.
From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister