Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
St. Maarten – Parliament elected Dr. Lloyd Richardson of the faction of the United People’s party yesterday morning as the successor of Sarah Wescot-Williams as its chairman. There were ten parliamentarians present at the meeting. Of those, seven voted for Richardson, the other three ballots were blank. Up to the vote, Cornelius de Weever presided over the meeting.
Wescot-Williams briefly functioned as chairlady of Parliament after the fifteen members were sworn in on October, but she stepped down after a conflict about the formation. The DP-leader had nominated Yvette Halley and Emil Lee for two ministerial posts in the new government, but two weeks later the (then) faction leader of her party, Cornelius de Weever, submitted two other names – Rita Bourne-Gumbs and Leroy de Weever – without informing her. Formateur Heyliger accepted the nominees put forth by De Weever. This was reason for Wescot-Williams to step down as the chairlady of parliament and to withdraw her party’s support for the coalition, that now has a 9-6 majority with seven members of the UP and independents Cornelius de Weever and Leona Marlin-Romeo.
