First President of the Parliament of Sint Maarten
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Gracita Arrindell (born 4 March 1956) is a Dutch politician, writer and women's rights activist, who was the first President of the Parliament of Sint Maarten, a role she held for two non-consecutive terms.
Biography
Born in Sint Maarten,[2] she was awarded an MA degree in political science from the Catholic University, Nijmegen. In 1988, she became deputy secretary of the Island Council.[3] In 1994 she was the chair of the Constitutional Referendum Committee. In 1999 she was a candidate in the Island Council (IC) elections, representing the Democratic Party. However she later joined the People's Progressive Alliance (PPA), who won their first seat in 2003.[3]
Arrindell was the first to be elected President of the Parliament of Sint Maarten. She held the role of President for two terms: the first from 10 October 2010 to 14 July 2012; the second from 24 June 2013 to 9 October 2014.[4][5] During her tenure she was also the leader of the PPA.[6] She has spoken out against the nepotism that has been common in political appointments on the island.[7]
In Looking Back to Move Forward, Arrindell edited a collection of speeches by former Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles.[3] She is president of the Peridot Foundation, an organisation she founded to combat domestic violence in Saba, Sint Eustasius and Sint Maarten.[8][3] She was also chair of the supervisory board of Directors of the Princess Juliana International Airport.[3]
Awards
In 2009 she was recognised with an Emerald Award from the Women of Great Esteem (WGE) Organization.[9]
References
External links