Historical Organization
Bonaire
Bonaire
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Organization Timeline
Slavery is abolished in Suriname and the Caribbean
📅 1 July 1863About 45,000 people were legally freed. Suriname’s emancipated population remained under state supervision and compulsory labor until 1873. Former owners received compensation; the people whose...
Bonaire votes for a direct constitutional link with the Netherlands
📅 10 September 2004In a status referendum, voters favored a direct relationship with the Netherlands. The vote reflected dissatisfaction with the Netherlands Antilles arrangement, though the island’s later integration...
Kingdom conference agrees on a new status for Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius
📅 11 October 2006The mini-conference’s final declaration provided for the three islands to become public bodies within the Netherlands, while Curaçao and Sint Maarten would become countries in the Kingdom. The...
Netherlands Antilles is dissolved and the Kingdom’s constitutional map changes
📅 10 October 2010The Netherlands Antilles ceased to exist. Curaçao and Sint Maarten became countries within the Kingdom, while Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba became public bodies within the Netherlands. The...
House of Representatives approves larger island councils for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
đź“… 9 June 2026The House approved legislation to increase the number of elected council members and executive officials on the three Caribbean Netherlands islands. The change addressed representation in small island...
Senate approves larger island councils for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
đź“… 8 July 2026The Senate completed parliamentary approval of a law expanding elected representation on the BES islands. The amendment adjusted local institutions within the Dutch state but did not change the...