Country profile
Saint Martin (French part)
Collectivité d'outre mer de Saint-Martin
North America · Latin America and the Caribbean · Americas
MF · MAF
- Capital
- Marigot
- Population
- 31,496
- Area
- 53 km²
- Democracy index
- 86
- Regime type
- Robust Democracy
Events
Ballots from Saint Martin (French part)
The latest elections, referendums, and opinion polls from Saint Martin (French part). Community totals are not official results.
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Classification
Democracy profile
The score and regime label are assigned by Porto Voto using our in-house democracy index and classification framework, not ratings from governments or external agencies.
Democracy index
86/100
Regime type
Robust Democracy
As an overseas collectivity of France, the French part of Saint Martin operates within the stable democratic framework of the French Republic. Governance is managed by a Territorial Council which exercises administrative autonomy under the French constitution, ensuring that national standards for human rights, judicial independence, and civil liberties are upheld locally. Political participation is characterized by local electoral competition where transparent processes and the rule of law are consistently maintained. While the territory shares the island with the Dutch side, its specific administrative structure ensures that institutional accountability and democratic norms remain aligned with mainland France, fostering a secure and predictable political environment.
Last evaluation:
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Country background
A concise introduction to Saint Martin (French part), together with notes on how power and law are organized, to put local ballots in context.
Christopher COLUMBUS claimed Saint Martin for Spain in 1493, naming it after the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, but it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 to exploit its salt deposits. The Spanish retook Saint Martin in 1633, but the Dutch continued to assert their claims.
The Spanish finally relinquished the island to the French and Dutch, who divided it between themselves in 1648. The border frequently fluctuated over the next 200 years because of friction between the two countries, with the French eventually holding the greater portion of the island (about 61%). The cultivation of sugarcane introduced African slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848.
The island became a free port in 1939, and the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of Saint Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe, and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity. In 2010, the southern Dutch portion of the island became the independent nation of Sint Maarten within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Saint Martin, causing extensive damage to roads, communications, electrical power, and housing; the UN estimated that 90% of the buildings were damaged or destroyed.