The Council of Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles announced on 16 September 2009, that it had chosen 22 January 2010 as the official date for the upcoming general election.
[1] Antillean political parties who wish to contest the election must submit their list of candidates by the first week of December 2009.
[1] Some politicians, including the Minister of Constitutional Affairs Roland Duncan, advocated an election date of 29 January 2010, instead.
[1] Glenn Sulvaran of the Curaçao based Party for the Restructured Antilles (PAR) argued against the original proposed 29 January date, noting that elections are not held during the carnival season on Sint Maarten or other islands, so the general election should not conflict with the Tumba Festival.
[1] Minister of Constitutional Affairs Roland Duncan rejected that argument, noting that the festival could be rescheduled for an event as important as a general election.