Netherlands Antilles Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Netherlands Antilles

Type: autonomous territory wi*hin Kingdom of the Netherlands, enjoying complete domestic autonomy

Capital: Willemstad on Curacao

Political subdivisions. three island territories—Bonaire, Curacao, and the Windward Islands—St. Eustatius, southern part of St. Martin (northern part is French), Saba;

Aruba, formerly part of the Antilles federation, assumed separate status (under Prime Minister Jan Hendrik Albert Eman) within the Kingdom of the Netherlands ori 1 January 1986

Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence; constitution adopted 1954

Branches: federal executive power rests nominally with Governor (appointed by the Crown); actual power exercised by eightmember Council of Ministers or cabinet presided over by Minister-President; legislative power rests with 22-member Legislative Council; independent court system under control of Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Justice ^administrative functions under Minister of Justice); each island territory has island council headed by Lieutenant Governor

Government leaders: Domenico Felip MARTINA, Prime Minister (since January 1986); Dr. Rene ROMER, Governor (since 1983)

Suffrage- universal age 18 and over

Elections: federal elections mandatorily held every four years, last regular held 22 November 1985; island council elections every four years, last held 25 April 1983

Political parties and leaders: political parties are indigenous to each island

Curasao: Movement for a New Antilles (MAN), Domenico Felip Martina-

Democratic Party (DP), Augustin Diaz, People’s National Party (PNP\ Maria Liberia-Peters; Frente Ohrero de Liberacion (FOL), Wilson Papa” Godett; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Efraim Cintje

Bonaire: Union Party of Bonaire (UPB\ Charles E. R. Ellis, Democratic Party of Bonaire, Jopie Abraham; New Democratic Action (ADEN)

Windward Islands: Windward Islands Democratic Party (DPW1), Leo Chance and Claude Wathey, United Federation of Antillean Workers (UF \); W’indward Islands People’s Movement (W1PM); and others

Voting strength: in June 1984 the government of Prime Minister Don Martina lost its majority in the I .egisiative Council; an interim coalition government was appointed by the Governor; the coalition controls 15 of 22 seats in the Council and consists of members of the PNP, DP, MEP, DPW1, and UPB parties

Communists: small leftist groups

Member of: EC (associate), INTERPOL; associated with UN through the Netherlands; UPU, WMO

NOTE: The information regarding Netherlands Antilles on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Netherlands Antilles 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Netherlands Antilles 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.