Occupied since prehistory by Carib Indians, St Maarten was sighted by Christopher Columbus on St Maarten’s day in 1493. However, the first European settlers were French and Dutch who, in 1648, partitioned the island. The island has remained under dual sovereignty ever since, the Dutch sector achieving partial independence from the Netherlands in 1954 with the establishment of the Netherlands Antilles.
At the most recent general election for the Staten – the local governing body of the Antilles – held in January 2002, the socialist
Frente Obrero Liberashon (Workers’
Liberation Front) won the largest number of seats but was excluded from office by a four-party center-right coalition led by the
Partido Antia Restruktura (Party for the Restructured Antilles, or PAR). The PAR, which is based on the island of Curaçao, has dominated Antilles’ politics since its formation a decade ago. PAR leader Miguel Pourier, who has held the premiership for most of the last decade, continues in office.
GovernmentThe Netherlands Antilles, Aruba and the Netherlands each have equal status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands as regions autonomous in internal affairs. The Queen is represented locally by a Governor, while the Netherlands Antilles are represented in the Government by a Minister Plenipotentiary. Foreign policy and defense matters are decided by a Council of Ministers of the Kingdom, including the Governor. The internal affairs of the Netherlands Antilles are administered by the central government of the Netherlands Antilles, based in Willemstad, Curaçao, which is responsible to the Staten (legislative assembly). St Maarten may elect by non-compulsory adult suffrage three of 22 members to the Staten. Routine local affairs on each island group (Bonaire, Curacao and the Windward Islands) are managed by an elected Island Council, presided over by a Lieutenant-Governor.
EconomyTourism dominates the economy; 70% of all visitors to the Netherlands Antilles visit St Maarten, which results in around half a million tourists annually. Further investment in the tourism infrastructure is under way, including a new major port.
Government service provides one of the few alternative sources of employment, while subsistence farming and fishing meet a fair proportion of the islands’ domestic needs. St Maarten is the only island in the Antilles group apart from Curaçao which has achieved some success in developing an ‘offshore’ financial services industry.
The Netherlands Antilles group enjoys Overseas Territory status at the EU and observer status at the Caribbean trading bloc CARICOM.
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.JPG "Peak Paradise")
