Alida Francis to become Statia’s first female governor.

Government Commissioner Alida Francis is to become the next governor of Statia in the coming months, the first woman to ascend to this position. 

Alexandra van Huffelen, the state secretary of kingdom relations and digitisation has forwarded the nomination of the Statia-born Ms Francis to the council of ministers.

The date on which her appointment will take effect has not been finalised, but it will be when the Royal Decree Phase 3.0 of the St Eustatius Provisions Restoration Act enters into force. At the same time, the administrative intervention in Statia will also end, and the position of government commissioner will cease to exist.

The appointment of the governor will complete the return to democracy on the island, ending the intervention which began in 2018. This means that from that moment on, Statia will be responsible for undertaing its own administrative tasks. The Kingdom representative will also have a number of additional powers until the expiration of the act on 1 September 2024.

Ms Francis was sworn in as the government commissioner in 2021, having been appointed as the deputy government commissioner in 2020.