THE HAGUE – Opposition parties GroenLinks-PvdA and D66 have announced plans to introduce a bill that would grant citizens of Curaçao, Aruba, and St. Maarten the right to vote in Dutch parliamentary elections.
“There will soon be elections for the House of Representatives, but not everyone in the Kingdom is allowed to vote. That is unjust and outdated,” said Raoul White (GroenLinks-PvdA). “The House makes decisions that directly affect the lives of people on the islands. Their voices deserve to be heard.”
D66 parliamentarian Mpanzu Bamenga echoed the call, stressing that action is long overdue. “The Council of State advised more than a year ago to amend the Electoral Act so that citizens of the Caribbean countries within the Kingdom could have influence in Dutch politics. The government has done nothing, so we will take the initiative ourselves. Democracy demands decisiveness.”
With the proposed legislation, GroenLinks-PvdA and D66 aim to ensure that the upcoming October 29 elections will be the last in which residents of Curaçao, Aruba, and St. Maarten are excluded from voting. The parties frame the move as a step toward greater equality within the Kingdom.
“Democracy does not stop at the Caribbean Sea,” White and Bamenga emphasized.