Voting was relatively quiet and no major incidents were reported.
~ Rhuggenaath likely PM ~
WILLEMSTAD--PAR earned four regular and two residual seats to win Curaçao’s early election on Friday, while MAN and MFK were not far behind, tied with five seats each. This makes a PAR/MAN coalition with a combined 11 of 21 seats in Parliament probable, to which one-seat party PIN may be added to expand that minimal majority.
It is also possible to add PS (1 seat) and/or MP (1 seat) to further broaden the basis, but PAR and MAN still have some issues with them. The remaining two seats went to KdNT of Amparo dos Santos, which is likely to end up in the opposition with MFK of Gerrit Schotte. “Hustu,” PNP, MKP and FOL/PAN did not manage to pass the seat threshold.
MAN beat MFK in number of votes, but won the same four regular seats plus one residual seat. MAN had won the October election and its leader Hensley Koeiman became Prime Minister before the coalition collapsed and snap elections were called.
However, with PAR now led by Eugene Rhuggenaath winning, MAN is the obvious governing partner. Both parties prefer not to work with MFK and KdNT.
With PNP failing to capture a seat, adding newcomer PIN of former PNP Minister Suzy Camelia-Römer is a likely option.
The turnout with 80,070 of 120,435 eligible voters going to the polls was 66.5 per cent, very close to the 66.6 per cent (80,433) of less than seven months ago. Buses of government-owned transport company ABC were running free all day to stimulate citizens making use of their democratic right.
