The petition for a new referendum on the constitutional future of St. Martin (South) was presented here to the Parliament of Sint Maarten on January 31, 2017, said Joseph H. Lake, Jr., president of the Independence for St. Martin Foundation (ISMF).
Members of the Foundation made the presentation at Parliament House, at approximately 10:30 am on Tuesday 31st.
Representing the Foundation were Joseph H. Lake, Jr., Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, Fabian Adekunle Badejo, Elton Jones, and Shujah Reiph.
Some 30 persons, including several Members of the Parliament of Sint Maarten, signed the petition, according to Lake, Jr.
The last constitutional referendum in St. Martin took place in June of 2000.
ISMF is calling for the new referendum to take place in 2017.
“The call for a referendum in St. Martin, according to the Sint Maarten constitution, is the prerogative of the territory’s Parliament. Parliament, therefore, has the authority and power to convene a new referendum,” said Lake, Jr.