News item | 05-12-2025 | 2:15 PM
The bill to expand the island councils and executive councils of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba goes to the House of Representatives. The Council of Ministers, after advice from the Council of State, approved the proposal of State Secretary Van Marum of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.
If the law is passed, the number of island council members will gradually increase in the elections of March 17, 2027. Bonaire will get two more (from 9 to 11), Sint Eustatius and Saba will go from 5 to 7 island council members. The number of deputies is also growing: on Bonaire from 3 to 4, and on Sint Eustatius and Saba from 2 to 3. Increasing the number of island council members and island deputies is part of the revision of the Act on the Public Bodies of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (WolBES) and has been brought forward at an accelerated pace.
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The island councils and executive councils are being expanded because the number of council members and deputies has not been adjusted to the growth in the population since 2010. In addition, the number of representatives and administrators on Saba and Sint Eustatius is lower than the number of representatives and administrators in municipalities of a comparable size. The islands themselves indicated that there are too few deputies for the large amount of work. This bill gives the islands more administrative power to tackle important challenges.
State Secretary Van Marum: “I am pleased that we can send this law to the House of Representatives more quickly. With this bill we not only strengthen democracy, but also the involvement of residents. In addition, we continue to support local administrators and thus contribute to a better perspective for residents of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.”