tholic; Protestant, Jewish,
Seventh-Day Adventist

Language: Dutch (official); Papiamento, a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English
dialect predominates; English widely spoken; Spanish

Literacy: 95%

Labor force: 89,000; 65% government, 28% industry and commerce
(1983)

Organized labor: 60-70% of labor force

- Government
Long-form name: none

Type: part of the Dutch realm--full autonomy in internal affairs
granted in 1954

Capital: Willemstad

Administrative divisions: none (part of the Dutch realm)

Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm)

Constitution: 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands,
as amended

Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common
law influence

National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)

Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, vice prime
minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: Parliament (Staten)

Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice

Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980),
represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since October 1989);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Maria LIBERIA-PETERS (since 17 May
1988, previously served from September 1984 to November 1985)

Political parties and leaders: political parties are indigenous to each
island:

Curacao--National People's Party (NVP), Maria
Liberia-Peters; New Antilles Movement (MAN), Domenico Felip Martina;
Democratic Party of Curacao (DP), Augustus Diaz; Workers' Liberation
Front (FOL), Wilson (Papa) Godett; Socialist Independent (SI), George
Hueck and Nelson Monte;

Bonaire--New Force, Rudy Ellis; Democratic Party of Bonaire (PDB),
John Evert (Jopie) Abraham;

Sint Maarten--Democratic Party of Sint Maarten, Claude Wathey;
Patriotic Movement of Sint Maarten, Romeo Paplophlet;

Sint Eustatius--Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius, Albert
K. Van Putten; Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM), Eric Henriquez;

Saba--Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM Saba), Will
Johnston; Saba Democratic Labor Movement, Vernon Hassell; Saba Unity
Party, Carmen Simmonds

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections:
Parliament--last held on 22 November 1985 (next to be held
November 1989); results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(22 total) PNP 6, MAN 4, DP-Curacao 3, DP-St. Maarten 3,
DP-Bonaire 2, DP-St. Eustatius 1, FOL 1, UPB 1, WIPM 1; note--the
government of Prime Minister Ma