21 November 2012 Last updated at 04:40 ET

Curacao profile

Head of state: Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, represented by a governor

Prime Minister: Gerrit Schotte

Gerrit Schotte became prime minister at age 36

Gerrit Schotte became prime minister of Curacao when it gained its new status as an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in October 2010.

He heads a coalition made up by his Movementu Futuro Korsou (MFK) and partners Pueblo Soberano (PS) and Partido MAN.

The Governor of the Netherlands Antilles, as representative of the Queen, appointed Mr Schotte - as leader of the biggest party in the coalition - to form the government, according to Mr Schotte's website.

He says that he became the world's youngest serving prime minister when he took office at age 36.

First voted into parliament in 2007, Mr Schotte has a background as a businessman and hotel manager. He is an exponent of paintballing, the sport in which combatants shoot each other with capsules of paint, rather than real bullets.

He served on the executive council of the island in charge of tourism, economic affairs, agriculture and fisheries.