Voters in the Dutch part of the hurricane-hit Caribbean island of Saint Martin went to the polls on Monday after a political crisis triggered by a row with the Netherlands over storm aid.

In the streets of Philipsburg, where torn roofs, damaged cars and ruined buildings are a daily reminder of the devastation caused by the killer Hurricane Irma in September, party activists were out distributing campaign leaflets.

Known as Sint-Maarten in Dutch, the territory was plunged into crisis when the local government fell after prime minister William Marlin refused Dutch conditions for reconstruction aid.

The Dutch government had promised 550 million euros ($670 million) in reconstruction aid, but insisted that a special "integrity" body be set up to monitor the spending, amid fears of rampant corruption.

Hurricane Irma left four people dead on the Dutch side of the island and 11 in the French part when it barrelled through the Caribbean, and dealt a major blow to the tourism-dependent local economy.

Some of the 20,000 registered voters said they were looking for change to try to restore their lives after Irma, although Marlin is again running in the election.

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