PHILIPSBURG- The coalition led by physician Luc Mercelina has emerged stronger from the snap elections held yesterday on St. Maarten. Both Mercelina’s own URSM party and coalition partner DP gained an additional seat, bringing each to three seats. The third coalition party, the PFP, also received many votes but maintained its current two seats. The fourth coalition party, the NOW, lost one seat and is left with only one.

Mercelina also became the politician with the highest number of preferential votes: 1,315 in total. Many voters in Sint Maarten feel that Mercelina has barely had a real chance to govern and are giving him a second chance.

Incidentally, the National Alliance of former Prime Minister Sylveria Jacobs officially became the largest party, with a lead of about 30 votes over Mercelina’s NSRM. Given the strong results of the current coalition, it is almost unthinkable that there will be a government led by the National Alliance.

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Other politicians who received many votes include Ludmilla de Weever (PFP) with 690 votes, Otmar Ottley (UP) with 666 votes, and Grisha Heyliger-Marten (DP) with 477 votes.

The highly controversial politician Olivier Arrindell could not realize his ambitions: his party garnered a little over 500 votes in total. As a result, Arrindell and his party will not enter parliament.