The MAN fraction in Curaçao’s Parliament has submitted an initiative law proposal to amend the island’s Electoral Regulation. The current opposition party no longer wants the seats won by the various
parties to go to candidates according to their position on the list, but rather based on the number of personal votes they receive.
If the story sounds familiar, it’s because St. Maarten made the same adjustment years ago with the so-called Lynch Law. Before that only those who received enough “preferential” votes to earn a seat outright would automatically be elected into office regardless of their position on the list.
As usually just the politician heading the list had been able to do so, candidates would end up losing out to others with much fewer votes merely because these had been given a higher position by the party. This was seen as undemocratic for obvious reasons.
However, in practice the change turned out to have a huge drawback. Campaigning became even more individual in nature despite efforts to push the number one candidate. Moreover, the party leadership was no longer able to control the candidates effectively by assigning them a certain spot on the list.
The latter appears to have led to a lack of structure among political organisations and – worse – what Prime Minister William Marlin recently described as candidates “shopping” for lists to see where they stand the greatest chance of getting into office and enjoying the nice salary plus other perks it brings. In other words, not the party or what it stands for, but which one offers the best opportunity to get a seat is the determining factor.
At the same time, it seems increasingly unlikely that the electoral reforms to prevent “ship-jumping” envisioned by the Marlin Cabinet can still be introduced before adult citizens go to the polls on September 26. Not only does it involve amending the Constitution, for which the support of a two-thirds legislative majority is required, but the Kingdom Council of Ministers in The Hague also must give its approval and already has raised questions.
As stated earlier, perhaps the far simpler process of repealing the Lynch Law and going back to the old system MAN now wants to abandon in Curaçao is worth considering instead at this point.
