Governor Eugene Holiday announced this morning that the judicial and integrity screening of minister candidates is still ongoing.\n\n
Formateur Member of Parliament Franklin “Frankie” Meyers had requested and has been granted an extension until Friday, December 15, to present his final report on the formation process.\n\n
The Governor and Meyers met on Friday and Saturday to discuss the process of appointing seven new ministers along with the minister plenipotentiary and a deputy.\n\n
The process of forming a new Council of Ministers started in early November when the current United St. Maarten party, then-National Alliance-led government lost its majority in Parliament. The Democratic Party (DP) quit the coalition along with US Party MP Chanel Brownbill leaving the old coalition with seven seats in Parliament, one short of a majority.\n\n
A coalition of eight has been formed with the United People’s (UP) party of which Meyers is the deputy leader.\n\n
The screening process typically takes about six weeks on St. Maarten. This screening has additional hurdles as documentation and checks need to be channelled via Curaçao as a result of the impact of Hurricane Irma on the local apparatus and personnel.\n\n
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/71741-final-report-on-new-ministers-expected-fri-screening-ongoing"
