section_path: Government and politics/Status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands
section_name: Status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands
paragraph_text: Status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands
  
  Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and as such the monarch of the Netherlands is head of state, represented locally by a governor. Following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, the Constitution of Sint Maarten was unanimously adopted by the island council of Sint Maarten on 21 July 2010. Elections for a new island council were held on 17 September 2010, since the number of seats was increased from 11 to 15. The newly elected island council became the Estates of Sint Maarten on 10 October. Sint Maarten is largely autonomous in internal affairs, with the Netherlands responsible for foreign diplomacy and defence. The first woman to be the president of Sint Maarten was Gracita Arrindell, who was first elected in 2010.
  
  There currently is a movement in Sint Maarten aiming for the unification of island of Saint Martin, which has its own flag.