View source for January 2024 Sint Maarten general election

{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox legislative election
| country = Sint Maarten
| election_date = 11 January 2024
| previous_election = [[2020 Sint Maarten general election|2020]]
| next_election = [[August 2024 Sint Maarten general election|August&nbsp;2024]]
| turnout = 65.51%
| seats_for_election = All 15 seats in [[Parliament of Sint Maarten|Parliament]]
| majority_seats = 8
| ongoing = no

| party1 = National Alliance (Sint Maarten)
| leader1 = [[Silveria Jacobs]]
| last_election1 = 6

| percentage1 = 23.92
| seats1 = 4

| party2 = [[United People's Party (Sint Maarten)|UPP]] 
| leader2 = [[Rolando Brison]] 
| last_election2 = 4

| percentage2 = 19.48
| seats2 = 3

| party3 = [[Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement|URSM]]
| leader3 = [[Luc Mercelina]]
| last_election3 = New
| color3 = #00576d
| percentage3 = 14.04
| seats3 = 2

| party4 = Democratic Party Sint Maarten
| leader4 = [[Sarah Wescot-Williams]]
| last_election4 = 1

| percentage4 = 13.64
| seats4 = 2

| party5 = {{ill|Party for Progress|lt=PFP|nl}}
| leader5 = [[Melissa Gumbs]]
| last_election5 = 2

| percentage5 = 11.89
| seats5 = 2

| party6 = [[Nation Opportunity Wealth|NOW]]
| leader6 = [[Christophe Emmanuel]]
| last_election6 = New
| color6 = #ffed25
| percentage6 = 10.25
| seats6 = 2

| title = [[Prime Minister of Sint Maarten|Prime&nbsp;Minister]]
| before_election = [[Silveria Jacobs]]
| before_party = National Alliance (Sint Maarten)
| after_election = [[Luc Mercelina]] 
| after_party = [[Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement|USRM]]
}}
{{Politics of Sint Maarten}}
General elections were held in [[Sint Maarten]] on 11 January 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-31 |title=UPDATE: Voters to go to polls January 11, 2024 |url=https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/update-voters-to-go-to-polls-january-11-2024 |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=The Daily Herald |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-30 |title=Sint Maarten to hold Election on January 11, 2024|url=https://www.stvincenttimes.com/sint-maarten-to-hold-election-on-january-11-2024/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=St Vincent Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/sint-maarten-announces-2024-election-date|title=Sint Maarten announces Election 2024 date|website=Loop News|date=30 August 2023}}</ref>

==Electoral system==
The 15 seats in the [[Estates of Sint Maarten|Estates]] were elected by [[proportional representation]].<ref>[http://www.sxmparliament.org/documents/constitution/26-constitution-of-sint-maarten%E2%80%8B-english.html The Constitution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325124015/http://www.sxmparliament.org/documents/constitution/26-constitution-of-sint-maarten%E2%80%8B-english.html |date=2016-03-25}} Estates of Sint Maarten</ref> In order to participate in the election, new parties and parties without a seat in parliament were required to obtain at least 134 signatures; 1% of the valid votes of the [[2020 Sint Maarten general election|2020 general elections]].<ref name="Ordinance">{{cite web|title=Election Ordinance - Government of Sint Maarten|url=https://www.sintmaartengov.org/Ministries/Campaigns/Documents/AB%202010%2c%20GT%20No.%2010_Election%20ordinance%20%281%29.pdf|website=Government of Sint Maarten}}</ref>

== Results ==
Preliminary results were released at the end of the night of the election, with official results announced by the Central Voting Bureau on 18 January.

{{Election results
|image=[[File:Sint Maarten Estates 2024.svg]]
|party1=[[National Alliance (Sint Maarten)|National Alliance]]|votes1=3455|seats1=4|sc1=–2
|party2=[[United People's Party (Sint Maarten)|United People's Party]]|votes2=2814|seats2=3|sc2=–1
|party3=[[Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement]]|votes3=2028|seats3=2|sc3=New|color3=#00576d
|party4=[[Democratic Party Sint Maarten|Democratic Party]]|votes4=1970|seats4=2|sc4=+1{{efn|Ran in the 2020 election as the [[United Democrats (Sint Maarten)|United Democrats]], winning one seat}}
|party5={{ill|Party for Progress|nl}}|votes5=1717|seats5=2|sc5=0
|party6=[[Nation Opportunity Wealth]]|votes6=1481|seats6=2|sc6=New|color6=#ffed25
|party7=[[United St. Maarten Party]]|votes7=686|seats7=0|sc7=–2
|party8=Empire Culture Empowerment Association|votes8=292|seats8=0|sc8=New|color8=purple
|invalid=332
|blank=0
|total_sc=0
|electorate=22553
|source=Central Voting Bureau<ref>https://www.sintmaartengov.org/Ministries/Campaigns/PublishingImages/Pages/PARLIAMENTARY-ELECTION/FINAL%20Sint%20Maarten%20Parliamentary%20Election%20Results%20%20DETAILS%2018JAN2024.pdf</ref>
}}

==Aftermath==
A four-party government was formed between the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM), the Democratic Party, the Party for Progress and Nation Opportunity Wealth, all of which won two seats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/sint-maarten-four-political-parties-sign-historic-coalition-agreement|title=Sint Maarten: Four political parties sign historic coalition agreement|website=Loop News|date=14 January 2024}}</ref> [[Luc Mercelina]]'s URSM, having received the most votes of the 4 parties, lead the new government with Mercelina as Prime Minister.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BREAKING NEWS: URSM, DP PFP, N.O.W. Forge Historic Coalition Agreement for 2024-2028 Term. |url=https://smn-news.com/index.php/st-maarten-st-martin-news/44545-breaking-news-unified-resilient-st-maarten-movement-ursm-democratic-party-dp-party-for-progress-pfp-and-nation-opportunity-wealth-n-o-w-forge-historic-coalition-agreement-for-2024-2028-term.html |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=St. Martin News Network}}</ref> Elected members took office on 10 February 2024, followed by a coalition deal on 21 February.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=11 April 2024 |date=10 April 2024 |language=en |title=Dr. Mercelina gives update on the Formation |url=https://www.721news.com/2024/04/dr-mercelina-gives-update-on-the-formation/ |website=721 News}}</ref> The new government with Mercelina as Prime minister eventually took the oath of office on 3 May.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dept |first=Editorial |date=2024-05-03 |title=New Council of Ministers appointed and sworn-in |url=https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/new-council-of-ministers-appointed-and-sworn-in |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=The Daily Herald |language=en-gb}}</ref> However, the government collapsed 18 days later as Kevin Maingrette, an MP from the Nation Opportunity Wealth party, left the coalition to join the opposition. This [[crossing the floor]] cost the coalition its majority, leading Mercelina to dissolve parliament and call [[August 2024 Sint Maarten general election|snap elections]].<ref name="dissolved">{{cite web | last=Wong | first=Melissa | title=Sint Maarten to dissolve Parliament paving way for snap election | website=Loop News | date=21 May 2024 | url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/sint-maarten-dissolve-parliament-paving-way-snap-election-705166 | access-date=22 May 2024}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Sint Maarten elections}}

[[Category:2024 elections in the Caribbean|Sint Maarten]]
[[Category:2024 in Sint Maarten|General]]
[[Category:January 2024 events in North America|Saint Maarten]]
[[Category:Elections in Sint Maarten|2024 01]]