Politics
Presidents of the Collectivité de Saint-Martin since 2007
Six people have been President of the Collectivité de Saint-Martin since it was created on 15 July 2007. Here are their names and terms.
By SXM Daily ·
Saint-Martin became an overseas collectivity on 15 July 2007, and six people have led it since. The president is elected by the 23 members of the territorial council and heads the executive council, which runs the Collectivité's own areas of responsibility, such as taxes, roads and the port.
Photo: Unknown photographer, Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
The presidents and their terms
- Louis-Constant Fleming: 15 July 2007 to 25 July 2008
- Frantz Gumbs: 7 August 2008 to 1 April 2012
- Alain Richardson: 1 April 2012 to 15 April 2013
- Aline Hanson: 17 April 2013 to 2 April 2017
- Daniel Gibbs: 2 April 2017 to 3 April 2022
- Louis Mussington: since 3 April 2022
Aline Hanson was the first woman to hold the post. Louis Mussington was elected on 3 April 2022 and is in office as of 14 October 2026.
How the president is elected
The rules are set by article LO 6322-1 of the French General Code of Local Authorities (CGCT), in the text adopted by the French Senate in 2007:
- The territorial council elects its president at the meeting that follows each renewal of the council.
- The oldest member chairs that sitting, and the youngest acts as secretary.
- Two thirds of the members must be present. If they are not, the meeting is held three days later with no quorum required.
- A candidate needs an absolute majority of the council's members to win. If two rounds produce no winner, a third round is decided by relative majority. If the vote is tied, the older candidate wins.
Term length
The territorial council is elected for five years, and the president serves for the length of the council's mandate, so a full term is five years.
About these dates
The dates come from Le 97150 and match the Collectivité de Saint-Martin's own history and elected-officials pages. Soualiga Post reported Daniel Gibbs's election on 2 April 2017.
Sources
- https://www.le97150.fr/societe-cache/15-juillet-2007-15-juillet-2025-18-ans-apres-ou-en-est-la-collectivite
- https://www.comstmartin.fr/thematiques/organisation-territoriale/votre-collectivite/histoire-de-la-collectivite
- https://www.comstmartin.fr/elus
- https://www.soualigapost.com/fr/actualite/12727/com/les-nouveaux-%C3%A9lus-sont-install%C3%A9s
- https://www.senat.fr/seances/s200702/s20070206/s20070206009.html
- https://www.senat.fr/rap/l06-025-1/l06-025-153.html