Legal System of Curacao
Curacao is located in Central America N Caribbean. It is geographically situated in caribbean, an island in the caribbean sea, 55 km off the coast of venezuela. The country achieved independence on none (part of the kingdom of the netherlands). The capital is Willemstad.
Government Overview
Government Type: parliamentary democracy Chief of State: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor Lucille A. GEORGE-WOUT (since 4 November 2013) Head of Government: Prime Minister Gilmar PISAS (since 14 June 2021) Cabinet: Cabinet sworn-in by the governor National Holiday: King’s Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legal System
The legal system of Curacao is described as based on Dutch civil law
Constitutional Framework
The constitution has the following history: previous 1947, 1955; latest adopted 5 September 2010, entered into force 10 October 2010 (regulates governance of Curacao but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Judicial Branch
Highest Court(s): Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or “Joint Court of Justice” (sits as a 3-judge panel); final appeals heard by the Supreme Court in The Hague, Netherlands Judge Selection: Joint Court judges appointed by the monarch for life Subordinate Courts: first instance courts, appeals court; specialized courts
Legislative Branch
The legislative structure consists of unicameral
Citizenship and Suffrage
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Historical Background
The original Arawak Indian settlers who arrived on Curaçao from South America in about A.D. 1000 were largely enslaved by the Spanish early in the 16th century and forcibly relocated to other colonies where labor was needed. The Dutch seized Curaçao from the Spanish in 1634. Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, Curaçao was hard hit economically when the Dutch abolished slavery in 1863.
This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Curacao based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.