PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) wishes to thank the general public and particularly our 856 voters for your support and confidence in us during the 2016 Parliamentary Elections.
As a new party, we believe that we conducted a clean and transparent campaign that was focused on educating the electorate, demonstrating a zero tolerance towards vote buying and challenging our Parliamentarians to offer good representation to the people.
Preliminary results from the Main Voting Bureau indicate that we were 116 votes short of gaining a seat in Parliament. We have since exercised our right to request a recount at some key polling stations. However, as we await the final results, congratulations are in order for the National Alliance, United Peoples Party, United St. Maarten Party and the Democratic Party. To all of the other parties who did not win a seat, we did not get the crown, but crossed the finish line with courage and dignity.
The people have spoken via the ballot and we must respect their voice. However, the SMCP is concerned about the overall voter turnout, the large number of invalid votes and the last minute change to the rules of conduct on Election Day. This is a clear indication that some eligible voters are disenchanted, frustrated with the process and also ill informed.
It is our hope that the governing coalition will work to repair the divisions in the society that have emerged during the election period and will work to promote inclusive governance and national development in the best interest of all of the people.
SMCP will continue to champion the principles of integrity, honesty, transparency, accountability and compassion for good governance in our nation. It’s been an honor and a privilege for us to engage you and offer an alternative to the instability, hopelessness and corruption that have tainted our reputation in the region and the Kingdom.
We are humbled by the outstanding support we received. This, however, is not the end of our journey, but only the beginning towards working for and in the interest of the people of St. Maarten.
Our manifesto contains a section called post-election activities and we will get to work on those activities immediately. We will not abandon you our valued voters. In fact, we are committed to serving for the good of all of the people, all of the time. Our one campaign promise must be fulfilled, namely to give you the representation you deserve, whether in or out of Parliament.
May God bless our people as we continue to serve you for a change!
