SAM to hold party congress on Jan. 25

GREAT BAY--The Soualiga Action Movement (SAM) has announced that it will hold its SAM Congress 2026 on Sunday, January 25, 2026, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Paradise Hall, with the theme “Because even hope needs a plan.” The party is inviting the public to take part in what it describes as a combined membership drive, board selection process, and a forum for open discussion on SAM’s plans.

The law (𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴) requires that a political party be an association with full legal capacity, and that its Articles of Association include rules for convening a general meeting and the powers of that general meeting. In practice, many parties use a “congress” as their general meeting, especially for internal elections, policy discussion, and membership matters.

The planned congress comes as SAM continues to build its footprint in St. Maarten politics after emerging as a new party ahead of the 2024 snap elections. In May 2024, party leader MP Franklin Meyers officially registered SAM with the Electoral Council, positioning the party to contest the August 19, 2024 parliamentary election. In June 2024, SAM was formally approved to participate in the snap election, with the party describing itself as focused on serious times and responsible leaders.

SAM intends to use the congress to widen participation and formalize internal structures, with board selection and a membership push listed as key features of the event. While the detailed agenda items were not announced, the party’s emphasis on open discussion suggests an attempt to engage supporters and prospective members on priorities for the year ahead, while also strengthening internal governance through an election process for its board.

SAM’s entry into party politics has been framed publicly as an effort to introduce a different approach to governance, with the party’s early messaging stressing policy focus, leadership standards. Following the 2024 election cycle, SAM with one seat became part of the governing coalition alongside URSM, DP, and PFP. In the coalition arrangement, SAM is politically responsible for the Justice portfolio.

With SAM now advertising Congress 2026 under the banner “Because even hope needs a plan,” the party appears to be signaling a renewed push to connect political messaging to practical direction, while inviting members of the public to help shape its path. The event is expected to draw supporters, party members, and residents interested in hearing directly about SAM’s priorities, as well as those who may wish to join the movement through the membership drive component of the congress.

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