PHILIPSBURG--The Leaders of the Coalition parties National Alliance (NA) and the United Peoples (UP) Party jointly announced on Saturday evening that they are exploring the option of "other members of Parliament (MPs)" to join the coalition.
While the statement did not mention any names, there were unconfirmed reports on Thursday that independent MP Akeem Arrindell as well as Chanel Brownbill have been approached. Neither were available for comment when contacted by The Daily Herald.
In the Coalition Statement, sent to the media after 11:00pm on Friday, NA and UP stated that coalition members were invited to an urgent meeting to discuss the consequences of the decision of Member of Parliament Ludmila Duncan to resign her membership of the National Alliance, which she announced on Wednesday.
“As you may know, the coalition which recently consisted of 9 members, had a member who has declared herself independent,” the coalition parties stated. “As a result, the coalition now consists of 8 members.”
While the coalition parties did not mention any names they now confirm that “it was decided to explore discussions with other MPs to see whether there is a feasible option to strengthen the coalition in the interest of stability and continuity that was promised to the electorate on January 11, 2020."
Those discussions are ongoing, the Coalition Leaders said. “Follow up meetings will be held, and the public will be kept abreast.”
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/other-mps-approached-to-strengthen-coalition
