1949 Netherlands Antilles general election

General elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 17 March 1949. This was the first parliamentary election in the Netherlands Antilles after the introduction of universal suffrage. At previous elections ten of the fifteen seats in the Estates of Curaçao were elected, with the remaining five appointed by the governor. This time the elections were about 21 seats in the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles and no seats were appointed by the governor. The 21 elected seats consisted of eight for Curaçao, eight for Aruba, two for Bonaire and one for each of the three SSS Islands.

Results

Party		Island	Votes	%	Seats
	National People's Party	Curaçao	13,224	29.91	4
	Democratic Party	Curaçao	10,006	22.63	3
	Aruban People's Party	Aruba	6,257	14.15	5
	Catholic People's Party	Curaçao	5,305	12.00	1
	Aruban National Union	Aruba	4,799	10.86	3
	Curaçaoan Independent Party	Curaçao	2,165	4.90	0
	List 3	Bonaire	952	2.15	1
	List 1	Bonaire	483	1.09	1
	List 2	Bonaire	317	0.72	0
	List 2	Saba	281	0.64	1
	List 1	Sint Eustatius	169	0.38	1
	List 1	Saba	104	0.24	0
	List 2	Sint Eustatius	97	0.22	0
	Kwartsz List	Aruba	51	0.12	0
	List 1	Sint Maarten			1
Total			44,210	100.00	21
Registered voters/turnout			53,529	–

Curaçao

Population: 95,195 (31 December 1948)
Entitled to vote: 37,688
Valid votes: 30,700
Invalid votes: 476
Seats: 8
Average valid votes per seat: 3,837.5

#	Candidate	Total per list	Votes	Result
National People's Party (NVP)
1	M.F. da Costa Gomez	13,224	12,834	Elected
2	H.G.M. Pieters Kwiers		109	Elected
3	E. Cohen Henriquez		20	Elected
4	J. van Toorn		5	Elected
5	Mrs. A.A. de Lannoy-Elisabeth		19	-
6	E.C.B. Bartels Daal		13	-
7	J.I. Boom		3	-
8	E. Rozendaal		4	-
9	J.R.A. Simoons		45	-
10	M.E. Dovale		2	-
11	W.R. Plantz		3	-
12	E.M. Newton		??	-
13	B.Ph. Römer		5	-
Democratic Party (DP)
1	E. Jonckheer	10,006	7,833	Elected
2	C.D. Kroon		54	Elected
3	S.W. van der Meer		45	-
4	R.J. Isa		13	-
5	C.H.W. Hueck		22	-
6	H.L. Braam		1,848	Elected
7	P.H. Maal		76	-
8	Mrs. L.C. van der Linde-Helmijr		2	-
9	C.G. da Costa Gomez		?	-
10	J.B. Rosario		0?	-
11	Miss C.C. van Uyten		15	-
12	R. Martinez		8	-
13	R. Beaujon		85	-
Catholic People's Party (KVP)
1	I.C. Debrot	5,305	4,341	Elected
2	Mrs. A. Henriquez-Con		124	-
3	A.M. Smit		100	-
4	Miss A.M. van der Dijs		25	-
5	P. Möhlmann		603	-
6	M.R.W.B. Berkenveld		41	-
7	Miss M.M.J. de Lannoy		14	-
8	E.J. Morkos		57	-
Curaçaoan Independent Party (COP)
1	H.B.C. Schotborgh	2,165	893	-
2	P. van der Hoeven		1,066	-
3	C. Lopez Delvalle		107	-
4	R.R. Muskus		10	-
5	Mrs. E. Nieuwstraten-Fränkel		15	-
6	J.W. v.d. Meulen		6	-
7	W. Meijer		38	-
8	O.W. Rigaud		30	-

Aruba

Population: 51,110 (31 December 1948)
Entitled to vote: 12,819
Valid votes: 11,107
Invalid votes: 288
Seats: 8
Average valid votes per seat: 1,388 3/8

#	Candidate	Total per list	Votes	Result
Aruban People's Party (AVP)
1	J.H.A. Eman	6,257	5,690	Elected
2	J.E. Irausquin		192	Elected
3	P. Croes		120	Elected
4	J. Geerman		107	Elected
5	M.E. de Cuba		34	Elected
6	A.J. Flanegin		17	-
7	G. Croes		3	-
8	A.E. Wever		9	-
9	H.P. Oduber		9	-
10	A.O. Scholten		10	-
11	J.J.P. Oduber		66	-
Aruban National Union (UNA)
1	F.B. Tromp	4,799	2,415	Elected
2	A.F. Dussenbroek		396	Elected
3	M.S. Arends		88	Elected
4	G. Amelink		87	-
5	Mrs. L.S. Wernet-Paskel		13	-
6	J.V. de Cuba		190	-
7	T.D. Luydens		16	-
8	H.P.E. Ecury		137	-
9	A. Werleman		37	-
10	R.M. Robles		699	-
11	C. Maduro		24	-
12	G.J. Schouten		258	-
13	W. Nisbet		439	-
Kwartsz List
1	F.J.Q. Kwartsz	51	51	-

Bonaire

Population: 4,995 (31 December 1948)
Entitled to vote: 2,224
Valid votes: 1,752
Seats: 2
Average valid votes per seat: 876

#	Candidate	Total per list	Votes	Result
List 1
1	M. Marchena	483	456	Elected
2	M.L. Booi		27	-
List 2
1	E. Newton	317	149	-
2	C. Hellmund		168	-
List 3
1	J.A. Abraham	952	229	-
2	W. Booi		42	-
3	L.D. Gerharts		522	Elected
4	M. de Bruin		45	-
5	C.L. Neuman		36	-
6	J.L. Ramirez		3	-
7	E. Sint Jago		75	-

Saba

Population: 1.125 (31 December 1948)
Entitled to vote: 451
Valid votes: 385
Invalid votes: 15
Seats: 1

#	Candidate	Total per list	Votes	Result
List 1
1	M.R.W.B. Berkenveld	104	8	-
2	Th. van Hugh Hassell		96	-
List 2
1	W.G. Buncamper	281	101	-
2	W.R. Plantz		1	-
3	C.E.W. Voges		179	Elected

Sint Eustatius

Population: 921 (31 December 1948)
Entitled to vote: 347
Valid votes: 266
Invalid votes: 15
Seats: 1

#	Candidate	Total per list	Votes	Result
List 1
1	G.F.E. Cruger	169	154	Elected
2	C.G. Buncamper		0	-
3	W.R. Plantz		15	-
List 2
1	P.H. Maal	97	89	-
2	S. Rogers		8	-

Sint Maarten

Population: 1,568 (31 December 1948)
Entitled to vote: 578
Valid votes: n.a. (only one list of candidates)
Seats: 1

#	Candidate	Result
List 1
1	W.R. Plantz	Elected
2	C.E.W. Voges	-
3	L.R. Carthy	-
4	W.G. Buncamper	-

Aftermath

The new session of the Estates started on 18 April 1949.

At this election women could not only for the first time vote for the parliament, there were also female candidates. None of them however were elected. After M.F. da Costa Gomez gave up his position in the parliament to join the 'College van Algemeen Bestuur' (CAB; early stage of the Council of Ministers), De Lannoy-Elisabeth succeeded him mid 1949 and became the first female member of the parliament in the Netherlands Antilles. Plantz also joined the CAB and was succeeded by Buncamper.

Kroon left the parliament and because Van der Meer turned down the opportunity to succeed him, Isa could become a member of the Estates. At the end of 1949 Arends was succeeded by Amelink and Plantz returned after Buncamper gave up his seat in the parliament.

References

• Amigoe di Curaçao, 2 February 1949
• Amigoe di Curaçao, 18 March 1949
• Amigoe di Curaçao, 19 March 1949
• De verkiezingen in de Nederlandse Antillen (B. de Gaay Fortman), De West-Indische gids, 1949
• Onderhorigheid en separatisme, Luc Alofs, 2011