In the wake of the recent Dutch parliamentary elec­tion, Saba’s Island Council will see its own shake-up as Saba Fire Chief Julio Every is set to replace Hemmie van Xanten as a representative of the Party for Progress, Equality and Prosperity (PEP) on the five-person legislative body.

Van Xanten, who has been notably absent in Island Council meetings since being re-elected in March, is stepping down for personal and family reasons.

Next in line was PEP’s number three candidate Roland Holm, but he turned down his seat due to health reasons. This made the seat available for number four candidate Ev­ery, who received 33 votes in the election earlier this year. This was seven more than Van Xanten, and 10.2% of PEP’s 324 total votes.

Every will be sworn in at 2:00pm Tuesday.

PEP party leader and current Island Council Member Saskia Matthew is enthusiastic about the change. She em­phasised the importance of transparency, a concept she be­lieves has not been entirely upheld before.

“We [PEP — Ed.] take representation seriously. So, just because similar situations have been handled differently in the past does not mean that we need to follow that pattern,” Matthew said. “The dynamics have shifted, but we remain a team and we remain united. As party leader, I am proud of this and I am eager to continue the people’s work with my sparring partner.”

Saba’s Island Council comprises two PEP members and three from Windward Islands People’s Movement (WIPM), which forms the government.

The Daily Herald.