Politics
How to attend a meeting of the Parliament of Sint Maarten
Most Parliament meetings are public. To sit in the gallery, bring a valid ID to the front desk in Philipsburg and follow the House Rules. Sessions are also broadcast live.
By SXM Daily ·
Most meetings of the Parliament of Sint Maarten are open to the public, and anyone can sit in the public gallery in Philipsburg by showing a valid ID at the front desk. Parliament says all of its meetings are public unless it is considered necessary to hold one behind closed doors, or, for a public meeting, at least four members ask for that.
Photo: Richie Diesterheft / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
What Parliament does
Parliament is the Dutch side's legislature. It passes national ordinances and motions and scrutinises the government. It holds three kinds of meeting:
- Public meetings, where national ordinances and motions are usually approved
- Central Committee meetings, which are investigative
- Permanent and Ad Hoc Committee meetings, which are also investigative
Where and when
Parliament meets in the Legislative Hall at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg, across from the Court House. Its office is open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM (+1 721 542 2929).
Meeting times vary. Each meeting is announced on the Meetings page of sxmparliament.org with its date, time and agenda. For example, public meeting no. 02 of the 2025–2026 parliamentary year was scheduled for 2 PM on Monday 15 September 2025.
How to get in
Under Parliament's House Rules, visitors to the public gallery go to the front desk in the Parliament building. You hand over a valid ID (an ID card, passport or driver's licence) and receive a visitor pass. You get your ID back when you return the pass.
Rules in the gallery
- Don't show approval or disapproval of what is said. The President of Parliament can order anyone who disturbs the meeting to leave the hall.
- Mobile phones, video cameras and laptops are in principle not allowed. The President can give permission, but you must ask before the meeting starts.
Parliament hasn't published information on a dress code, accessibility or the number of seats in the gallery.
Watching from home
According to Parliament's meeting notices, sessions are carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, SXM GOV radio (FM 107.9) and Pearl Radio (FM 98.1). Audio streams on sxmparliament.org and pearlfmradio.sx, and video is on Parliament's YouTube channel. Parliament also has a live meeting page.
Sources
- https://sxmparliament.org/meetings/
- https://sxmparliament.org/house-rules-parliament-of-sint-maarten/
- https://sxmparliament.org/public-meeting-of-parliament-no-02-py-2025-2026/
- https://sxmparliament.org/live-meeting/