PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the United St. Maarten (US) party MP Frans Richardson on Tuesday said he is “extremely proud” of the overall effort of his candidates and party during the 2016 Parliamentary elections and looks forward to continue working for the people of St. Maarten. “Now with 3 seats, we are on a steady path of growth and we are very proud of this,” he said.
Richardson noted that the US was the only returning party that increased in votes (more than 1,100) compared to the 2014 Parliamentary elections, something he attributed to a proven record of accomplishments for the people and the party’s steadfast people-first approach.
“We went into this election championing a very clear approach; show the people how you intend to improve their quality of life. We accomplished this with clear positions on key issues in our manifesto, a consistent marketing campaign but online and off, and via several groups and personal meetings with the electorate. In our eyes, winning the confidence of over 1,100 people is evidence that the US is still growing and establishing a relationship with the people of St. Maarten,” he said.
MP Richardson went on to congratulate his two running-mates who will be joining him in Parliament, re-elected MP Silvio Matser and MP-Elect Chanel Brownbill. He also congratulated all of the candidates who contested the election on the USP slate and thanked them for the hard work they put into their campaigns and the party vision.
“This was a short, intense, grueling campaign. Our party had to do a lot in a very short period of time. Our candidates were up to the task and collectively delivered US new voters. As political leader I am very proud of my team. Now we move on to work on behalf of the people of St. Maarten. At the end of the day we have one job as MP’s; to legislate. With good team support we will deliver for our people,” MP Richardson said.
He added that the party as an organization will also be meeting in the next few days to evaluate and plan for its future. He also congratulated all the other parties who contested the election for answering the call to serve.
