The Public Prosecution Service BES appears to have played a prominent role around the Island Council elections of March 15. Although there were clear indications of tampering with powers of attorney, the Public Prosecution Service advised the public body against reporting the crime because the chance of success would be small.
Government Commissioner Francis had already shared her concerns with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in 2022. Before 2010, voting by proxy was not possible in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom due to the risk of recruitment. But the Dutch government introduced the proxy system despite warnings on 10-10-10 on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. During previous elections, a report was made on Bonaire when piles of proxies were found, but the Public Prosecution Service did not prosecute.
On March 15, 36.7% of the votes by proxy were cast on St. Eustatius and there were signals of fraud at some specific polling stations. Government Commissioner Francis has asked the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in a letter to pay attention to the issue. Minister De Jonge does not seem to take the signals from Statia and Bonaire very seriously. In his response that he sent to the House of Representatives today, he goes no further than: “The Island Council and electoral college elections went well. The high percentage of issued proxies remains a point of attention.dossierkoninkrijksrelaties.nl
