Council of Ministers approve expansion of Island Councils for Bonaire, Statia and Saba

THE HAGUE--The Council of Ministers has given its approval to a proposal from State Secretary Van Marum (Interior and Kingdom Relations) that will expand the size of Island Councils and executive deputies in the Saba, Statia and Bonaire.

Beginning with the elections scheduled for March 17, 2027, Bonaire’s Island Council will grow from nine to eleven members. St. Eustatius and Saba will each increase from five to seven members. The number of deputies will also rise, with Bonaire moving from three to four and both St. Eustatius and Saba from two to three.

This step builds on agreements reached during the March 2024 working conference on the revision of the Public Entities Act (WolBES) and the BES Finance Act (FinBES). Both pieces of legislation define how the islands are governed and how they relate financially to the central government.

The expansion comes after repeated signals from the islands that their representation and administrative capacity have not matched the growth in population and responsibilities since 2010. The increase is expected to strengthen local governance, give deputies more capacity to address pressing issues, and reinforce democratic participation.

State Secretary Van Marum explained the reasoning: “The islands are dealing with urgent challenges such as upgrading roads, providing sufficient housing, improving education, boosting the economy, and ensuring better connections between the islands. By enlarging and reinforcing the Island Councils and their administrations, I want to help address these issues faster and more effectively, working in close cooperation with the local political authorities.”

The bill will now be forwarded to the Council of State for review before being debated in the House of Representatives.

‍