Curacao Politics

The Netherlands Antilles government is based on a parliamentary democracy, which comprises a council of ministers and a prime minister. The governor general is appointed by the queen of the Netherlands to be the crown’s representative in the Netherlands Antilles.Curacao gained self-government on January 1, 1954 as an island territory of the Netherlands Antilles. In recent years, the political status of the island has been under discussion regarding its relationship with the Netherlands.

Current political relations between the Netherlands stems from 1954 and are based on the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a voluntary arrangement between the Netherlands, Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles. At the time, the Charter represented an end to colonial relations and the acceptance of a new legal system in which each nation would look after their own interests independently. The Netherlands Antilles enjoys self-determination on all internal matters and defers to the Netherlands in matters of defense, foreign policy, and some judicial functions.

In a referendum held on April 8, 2005, residents voted for separate status outside the Netherlands Antilles, or becoming part of the Netherlands, or retaining the status quo.

On July 1, 2007, Curacao became an autonomous associated state, under the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On December 15, 2008, Curacao is scheduled to become a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This dissolution is still planned but has been postponed to a future date.

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