PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) is leading the endorsement race to get on the September 26 election ballot.
The signature count for SMCP, a party led by retired pastor Wycliffe Smith, at 11:00am was 76.
St. Maarten Development Movement (SDM) of Benjamin Ortega had 50 signatures at 11am.
One St. Maarten People Party (OSPP) of former Island Councilman Lenny Priest had 45 signatures.
People’s Progressive Alliance (PPA) of former Member of Parliament Gracita Arrindell had 36. However, party representatives were contesting the count because they claimed lots of families members had come to sign the endorsement list.
Helping Our People Excel (HOPE) of former radio personality Mercedes van der Waals-Wyatt had only 16 signatures at 11:00am.
All five newly registered parties require 146 signatures to get on the ballot. The figure represents one per cent of the valid ballots cast in the 2014 parliamentary elections.
Next update on signatures is at 1:00pm.
