PHILIPSBURG–The seven United Democrats Members of Parliament-elect will only meet with informateurs Nilda Arduin and Jan Beaujon as a bloc and not individually.

Party leader MP Theo Heyliger told The Daily Herald on Monday that the party has informed Arduin and Beaujon of this stance. The same was communicated to Governor Eugene Holiday who appointed the informateurs to compile a report on the best suitable parties to work together in a strong and stable coalition. Their report is due to the Governor on March 12.

“What the informateurs are asking for promotes individualism, a cornerstone for ship-jumping, the very thing that has plagued our country since 2010 and forced two snap elections. This was also told to the Governor,” Heyliger said.

“As a party, we have already said we will work with the informateurs, but not as individuals. All MPs were elected by the party’s collective votes and it is the party’s united goal to stay together for the people of the country and not to allow individual interest of the past to get in the way of rebuilding the country.”

Of the country’s 15 MPs-elect, Heyliger was not only the highest overall vote-getter; he was the only one to earn his seat outright on the 1,289 votes he garnered. The preliminary seat quota is 904 votes.
United Democrats captured seven of the 15 parliamentary seats in the February 26 snap election. Those seats are held by re-elected MPs Heyliger, Sarah Wescot-Williams, Franklin Meyers, Sidharth “Cookie” Bijlani and Chanel Brownbill, Minister of Health Emil Lee and Dr. Luc Mercelina.

United Democrats, a new party formed from the merger of United People’s (UP) party and Democratic Party (DP), was one seat short of the full mandate needed to govern the country without coalition partners.
Earning seats in the election along with United Democrats were National Alliance (NA) five seats, United St. Maarten Party (US Party) two seats and St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) one seat.

Bron: Daily Herald