Within the last 6 years, there have been 6 different governments governing the country due to various parliamentarians declaring themselves independent and withdrawing their support from their
political party.The electoral reform should be a point of reference for political stability which promotes economic and cultural development and should end the ‘ship jumping’ often needed to form ruling coalition.
To better understand how electoral systems affect a government’s stability, an analysis is needed on the successes, failures and effects of electoral reform. I propose to conduct an in-depth study
of Sint Maarten, where maintaining a stable government has failed since becoming a country. Living in St. Maarten and having knowledge of the economic, social, political and cultural structures of the country, I will examine the factors that are likely to influence the future success of
an electoral reform. By drawing on other countries case studies and existing research pertaining to key characteristics of electoral reform, and comparing these to the conditions prevalent in Sint
Maarten.Research Questions:1) Why has the government of Sint Maarten been unstable for the past six years? (explanatory research) 2) What are the factors likely to influence the successful implementation of an electoral reform in Sint Maarten? (descriptive research)3) How can a political reform improve governance and provide a stable Government in Sint Maarten? (analytical research)4) Should there be legislation to control or eliminate defection (ship jumping)?