Luc Mercelina

His Excellency Luc Mercelina
8th Prime Minister of Sint Maarten
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 May 2024[1]
Monarch	Willem-Alexander
Governor	Ajamu Baly
Deputy	Veronica Jansen-Webster[2]
Preceded by	Silveria Jacobs
Leader of the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 October 2021
Preceded by	Position established
Personal details
Born	(1964-12-06) 6 December 1964 (age 59) Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles
Political party	United Democrats (until 2019) United People's Party (2019–2021) Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (since 2021)
Alma mater	Maastricht University

Luc F. E. Mercelina (born 6 December 1964) is a surgeon and politician from Sint Maarten and the current Prime Minister as of 3 May 2024^[update].^[3] He is the founder and leader of the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM). He was also a member of the United Democrats (UD) and the United People's Party (UP).

Early life and career

Luc Mercelina was born in Curaçao as the second child of Milo Mercelina, of Bonairean descent, and Juliette S.F. Fleming of Marigot, Saint Martin. He graduated as a doctor in 1990 from the Medical University of Maastricht. His professional career started in Curaçao, where he was a general practitioner in Santa Rosa from 1990 to 1992.^[4] He further specialized in surgery at the UZ Leuven in Belgium, which he completed in 1998. After working as a surgeon in the Netherlands for a year, he moved to Sint Maarten in 1999, where he worked for 10 years at the Sint Maarten Medical Center (SMMC).^[5]

Political career

In the 2018 elections, the United Democrats became the largest party in the Estates of Sint Maarten with 7 seats, with Mercelina holding one of them.^[6][7] On 9 September 2019, Mercelina left the UD, leading to the collapse of the second Marlin-Romeo cabinet.^[8] He then became a member of the United People's Party for two years, before leaving and founding the Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement on 10 October 2021.^[9][10] The URSM contested the January 2024 general election winning 2 seats,^[11] and later entered a coalition agreement with the Democratic Party, Party for Progress, and Nation Opportunity Wealth that designated Mercelina as the new Prime Minister.^[12]

References

1. "New Council of Ministers appointed and sworn-in". www.sintmaartengov.org. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
2. "Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure". www.sintmaartengov.org. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
3. "New Council of Ministers appointed and sworn-in". www.sintmaartengov.org. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
4. "Afscheid dokter Mercelina". Amigoe. 1992-04-24. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
5. "Surgeon Dr. Mercelina Resumes Position at SMMC". SMMC.
6. "United Democrats secured most seats in parliament". SMN News. 27 February 2018.
7. "UD and SMCP signed formation agreement on close to midnight on Thursday". SMN News. 6 April 2018.
8. "Update: NA, US party, Mercelina, Brownbill form new nine-member coalition". The Daily Herald. 23 September 2019.
9. "Sizeable crowd turns out for URSM first congress, Dr. Luc Mercelina elected as leader". Sint Maarten News. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
10. "Dr. Mercelina launches URSM party, wants to initiate change". The Daily Herald. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
11. "NA maintains position as biggest party in elections". The Daily Herald. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
12. "Sint Maarten: Four political parties sign historic coalition agreement". Loop News. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.