<hdr>The World Factbook 1994: Netherlands Antilles<nl>Government</hdr><body>
<list>
<item><hi format=bold>Names:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>conventional long form:</hi> none
<item>• <hi format=ital>conventional short form:</hi> Netherlands Antilles
<item>• <hi format=ital>local long form:</hi> none
<item>• <hi format=ital>local short form:</hi> Nederlandse Antillen
</list>
<item><hi format=bold>Digraph:</hi> NA
<item><hi format=bold>Type:</hi> part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954
<item><hi format=bold>Capital:</hi> Willemstad
<item><hi format=bold>Administrative divisions:</hi> none (part of the Dutch realm)
<item><hi format=bold>Independence:</hi> none (part of the Dutch realm)
<item><hi format=bold>National holiday:</hi> Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
<item><hi format=bold>Constitution:</hi> 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
<item><hi format=bold>Legal system:</hi> based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
<item><hi format=bold>Suffrage:</hi> 18 years of age; universal
<item><hi format=bold>Executive branch:</hi>
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>chief of state:</hi> Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since NA October 1989)
<item>• <hi format=ital>head of government:</hi> Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 25 February 1994)
<item>• <hi format=ital>cabinet:</hi> Council of Ministers; appointed with the advice and approval of the unicameral legislature
<item><hi format=bold>Staten:</hi> elections last held on 25 February 1994 (next to be held March 1998); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(23 total) PAR 8, PNP 3, SPA 2, PDB 2, UPB 1, MAN 2, DP 1, WIPM 1, DP-St. E 1, DP-St. M 1, Nos Patria 1
<list style=hang>
<item>• <hi format=ital>note:</hi> the government of Miguel POURIER is a coalition of several parties
</list>
<item><hi format=bold>Judicial branch:</hi> Joint High Court of Justice
<item><hi format=bold>Political parties and leaders:</hi> political parties are indigenous to each island
<item><hi format=bold>Bonaire:</hi> Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), Rudy ELLIS; Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB), Franklin CRESTIAN
<item><hi format=bold>Curacao:</hi> Antillean Restructuring Party (PAR), Miguel POURIER; National People's Party (PNP), Maria LIBERIA-PETERS; New Antilles Movement (MAN), Domenico Felip Don MARTINA; Workers' Liberation Front (FOL), Wilson (Papa) GODETT; Socialist Independent (SI), George HUECK and Nelson MONTE; Democratic Party of Curacao (DP), Augustin DIAZ; Nos Patria, Chin BEHILIA
<item><hi format=bold>Saba:</hi> Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM Saba), Will JOHNSON; Saba Democratic Labor Movement, Vernon HASSELL; Saba Unity Party, Carmen SIMMONDS
<item><hi format=bold>Sint Eustatius:</hi> Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius (DP-St.E), K. Van PUTTEN; Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM); St. Eustatius Alliance (SEA), Ralph BERKEL
<item><hi format=bold>Sint Maarten:</hi> Democratic Party of Sint Maarten (DP-St.M), Claude WATHEY; Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten (SPA), Vance JAMES
<item><hi format=bold>Flag:</hi> white with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red band also centered; five white five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten