Curacao Government

The Republic of Curacao, being a colony of the Kingdom of Netherlands, takes the form of a parliamentary representative democratic system of governance. It has the executive, the legislative and the judicial arms of power. The executive arm comprises of the governor, the prime minister, and the cabinet. The Prime Minister is the head of the government and works alongside the cabinet that he appoints. He is also the leader of the multi-party system. The position of the multi-party system leader was created after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010. It was in 2010 that Curacao became an autonomous state. The government is not autonomous in all matters as stated in the Charter for the Kingdom of Netherlands under the title "kingdom affairs". Its rule is influenced by the monarchy.

The governor is appointed by the monarch of the kingdom of the Netherlands for a period of six years. The prime minister and the deputy prime minister are elected for a period of four-years by the Staten. 21 members of the national legislative assembly, the Estates of Curacao, are elected after every four years by proportional representation from the parties. Political parties have to participate in pre-election round of voting. If they are not among the parties forming the Estates of Curacao and they have garner at least 1% of the valid votes cast. The only Curacao residents who are eligible to vote in the elections are those of 18 years and above.

The legislative house of Curacao, Estates of Curacao is based within the capital city, Willemstad. The official residence of the governor is the Fort Amsterdam Palace in Willemstad. It was built at the center of Island and has been renovated over the years. Some previous governors preferred to live in the Plantation Houses instead of the palace. Prime Minister Eugene does not have an official residence. This is because one of his predecessors, Ivar Asjes ruled out the idea of building an official residence for the prime minister due to the then financial situation of Curacao.

Political parties in Curacao must form coalition governments. Some of these parties include C93, the Democratic Party, Forsa Korsou, and the Labour Party People's Crusade.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Willemstad
Languages	Papiamento (official) (a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages and the language of the Arawak) 81.2%, Dutch (official) 8%, Spanish 4%, English (official) 2.9%, other 3.9% (2001 census)
Ethnic Groups	Afro-Caribbean majority; Dutch, French, Latin American, East Asian, South Asian, Jewish minorities
Religion	Roman Catholic 72.8%, Pentecostal 6.6%, Protestant 3.2%, Adventist 3%, Jehovah's Witness 2%, Evangelical 1.9%, other 3.8%, none 6%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
Government	Parliamentary
Independance	None (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Area	444.00 km²
Land Area	444.00 km²
Population	149,035.00 Largest concentration on the island is Willemstad; smaller settlements near the coast can be found throughout the island, particularly in the northwest
Location	Caribbean, an island in the Caribbean Sea, 30 nm off the coast of Venezuela
GDP(PPP)	$3,128,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$15,000.00 (USD)
Export Commodities	Its main export is petroleum products.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include crude petroleum, food, and manufactures.
Climate	Tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in mild temperatures; semiarid with average rainfall of 60 cm/year
Terrain	Generally low, hilly terrain

Curacao Government

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