WILLEMSTAD - The Netherlands intervenes in Curaçao after another parliamentary meeting was canceled yesterday. The entire opposition did not show up for the tenth time. They boycott parliament because the parties do not feel they are taken seriously by the governing coalition.

The boycott of the opposition started a few weeks ago when a member of parliament from the ruling party PAR left parliament and the coalition temporarily lost a majority. Twenty of the 21 seats were occupied at the time, divided equally between opposition and coalition.

The installation of the new Member of Parliament can only take place in the presence of a majority of parliament. Due to the absence of the opposition, that majority is not there. Thanks to the intervention by the Netherlands, parliament can now meet and the new member of parliament can be sworn in.

"Irresponsible in times of crisis"

Because there are now no more parliamentary meetings taking place, important topics also remain on the table. One of these is the extension of the state of emergency. It expires in two weeks. The meeting is necessary to continue the government's corona measures. Any extension must be approved by Parliament.

But parliament can also not deal with several laws that are necessary to guarantee long-term support for the corona crisis by the Netherlands. “In this time of crisis, that is irresponsible,” says Undersecretary of Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops in response to the General Measure imposed by the Kingdom Council of Ministers, as the designation is officially called.

Knops now says he must intervene because parliament can no longer function. "Democracy is knowingly sidelined by part of parliament."

There will be elections in Curaçao on March 19. “If this situation is not resolved before then, it may be that meetings cannot be held until May 11,” says Knops. That is the date that the old parliament must hand over the baton to the newly elected parliament.