{{Short description|Sint Maarten surgeon and politician (born 1964)}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = His Excellency | name = Luc Mercelina | image = Luc Mercelina, UNGA 2024 (B).jpg | caption = Marcelina in 2024 | office = 8th Prime Minister of Sint Maarten | monarch = Willem-Alexander | governor = Ajamu Baly | deputy = Veronica Jansen-Webster<ref>{{Cite web |title=Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure |url=https://www.sintmaartengov.org/Ministries/Public-Housing,-Spatial-Planning,-Environment-and-Infrastructure/Pages/default.aspx |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=www.sintmaartengov.org}}</ref> | term_start = 3 May 2024<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Council of Ministers appointed and sworn-in |url=https://www.sintmaartengov.org/news/Pages/New-Council-of-Ministers-appointed-and-sworn-in.aspx |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=www.sintmaartengov.org}}</ref> | term_end = | predecessor = Silveria Jacobs | successor = | office1 = Leader of the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement | term_start1 = 10 October 2021 | term_end1 = | predecessor1 = ''Position established'' | successor1 = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|12|06|df=y}} | birth_place = Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles | death_date = | death_place = | party = {{unbulleted list|United Democrats (until 2019)|United People's Party (2019–2021)|Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (since 2021)}} | alma_mater = Maastricht University | signature = | website = }} '''Luc F. E. Mercelina''' (born 6 December 1964) is a surgeon and politician from Sint Maarten and the current prime minister {{as of|2024|05|03|lc=yes}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Council of Ministers appointed and sworn-in |url=https://www.sintmaartengov.org/news/Pages/New-Council-of-Ministers-appointed-and-sworn-in.aspx |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=www.sintmaartengov.org}}</ref> He is the founder and leader of the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM). He was also a member of the United Democrats (UD) and the United People's Party (UP).
==Early life and career== Luc Mercelina was born in Curaçao as the second child of Milo Mercelina, of Bonairean descent, and Juliette S.F. Fleming of Marigot, Saint Martin. He graduated as a doctor in 1990 from the Medical University of Maastricht. His professional career started in Curaçao, where he was a general practitioner in Santa Rosa from 1990 to 1992.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010644030:mpeg21:p013|title=Afscheid dokter Mercelina|work=Amigoe|date=1992-04-24|accessdate=2024-02-08}}</ref> He further specialized in surgery at the UZ Leuven in Belgium, which he completed in 1998. After working as a surgeon in the Netherlands for a year, he moved to Sint Maarten in 1999, where he worked for 10 years at the Sint Maarten Medical Center (SMMC).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://smmc.sx/News/ArticleID/198/Surgeon-Dr-Mercelina-Resumes-Position-at-SMMC|title=Surgeon Dr. Mercelina Resumes Position at SMMC|publisher=SMMC}}</ref>
==Political career== In the 2018 elections, the United Democrats became the largest party in the Estates of Sint Maarten with 7 seats, with Mercelina holding one of them.<ref name="SMNNews27012018">{{cite news|title=United Democrats secured most seats in parliament.|url=http://smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/28536-united-democrats-secured-most-seats-in-parliament.html|work=SMN News|date=27 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="SMNNews06042018">{{cite news|title=UD and SMCP signed formation agreement on close to midnight on Thursday.|url=http://smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/28852-ud-and-smcp-signed-formation-agreement-on-close-to-midnight-on-thursday.html|work=SMN News|date=6 April 2018}}</ref> On 9 September 2019, Mercelina left the UD, leading to the collapse of the second Marlin-Romeo cabinet.<ref>{{cite news |title=Update: NA, US party, Mercelina, Brownbill form new nine-member coalition |url=https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/91109-update-na-us-party-mercelina-brownbill-form-new-nine-member-coalition |work=The Daily Herald |date=23 September 2019 |archive-date=23 September 2019 |access-date=24 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923185748/https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/91109-update-na-us-party-mercelina-brownbill-form-new-nine-member-coalition |url-status=dead }}</ref> He then became a member of the United People's Party for two years, before leaving and founding the Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement on 10 October 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://smn-news.com/index.php/st-maarten-st-martin-news/42910-sizeable-crowd-turns-out-for-ursm-first-congress-dr-luc-mercelina-elected-as-leader.html |title=Sizeable crowd turns out for URSM first congress, Dr. Luc Mercelina elected as leader. |date=8 May 2023 |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=Sint Maarten News}}</ref><ref name="tdh-20211011">{{cite web|url=https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/dr-mercelina-launches-ursm-party-wants-to-initiate-change |title=Dr. Mercelina launches URSM party, wants to initiate change |date=11 October 2021 |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=The Daily Herald}}</ref> The URSM contested the January 2024 general election winning 2 seats,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/na-maintains-position-as-biggest-party-in-elections |title=NA maintains position as biggest party in elections |date=12 January 2024 |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=The Daily Herald}}</ref> and later entered a coalition agreement with the Democratic Party, Party for Progress, and Nation Opportunity Wealth that designated Mercelina as the new Prime Minister.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/sint-maarten-four-political-parties-sign-historic-coalition-agreement |title=Sint Maarten: Four political parties sign historic coalition agreement |date=14 January 2024 |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=Loop News}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Prime Ministers of Sint Maarten}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercelina, Luc}} Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the Parliament of Sint Maarten Category:Democratic Party Sint Maarten politicians Category:21st-century Dutch politicians Category:Prime ministers of Sint Maarten