Politics of Aruba
Encyclopedia
Aruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary
representative democratic
country
, whereby the prime minister
is the head of government
, and of a multi-party system
. Executive power
is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government
and parliament. The Judiciary
is independent of the executive and the legislature. Aruba
has full autonomy on most matters. Exceptions are defence, foreign affairs, and the Supreme Court. The constitution was enacted in January 1986.
Executive power rests with a governor, and a prime minister
heads an eight-member Cabinet. The governor of Aruba
is appointed for a six-year term by the monarch, and the prime minister and deputy prime minister are elected by the Staten for four-year terms. The legislature or Staten is made up of 21 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms.
Aruba's judicial system, which has mainly been derived from the Dutch system, operates independently of the legislature and the executive. Jurisdiction, including appeal, lies with the Common Court of Justice of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles and the Supreme Court of Justice in the Netherlands.
(Arubaanse Volkspartij, AVP) and the Aruban Liberal Organization
(Organisashon Liberal Arubano, OLA), the election of July 1998 was pushed forward to December 1997. Unfortunately, the results were unclear, with no clear mandate for a particular coalition. The MEP announced that they preferred a coalition between the large parties, the MEP and the AVP. The message was not clear enough from the MEP side and the negotiations went sluggish. After more than 6 months of talks, the AVP started negotiations with its previous coalition partner and succeeded to form a weak but stable enough coalition. The MEP remained in the opposition, a place strategically favored by the party leader Nelson (Nel) O. Oduber.
Four years later, in September 2001, the strategy paid off and the MEP won a decisive victory from the opposition. The MEP took 12 of 21 seats to form Aruba's first non-coalition government. The AVP on the other hand lost heavily and retained only 6 seats. The other coalition partner of the AVP OLA, retained only 1 seat. The PPA, which endured two seatless elections, got 2 seats.
After the 2001 election, the AVP leader, Dr. Robertico (Tico) Croes stepped down as party leader and left politics as the result of the election results. He went on to pursue a career in teaching in the United States of America (University of Central Florida
).
The AVP underwent a long and arduous restructuring process which included a new party leader, Michiel (Mike) G. Eman, grandson of one of the party founders and consultant of former Prime Minister Henny Eman. In the 2005 elections, the AVP gained seats and remained the largest opposition party.
The MEP, on the other hand lost votes, but managed to only lose a single seat, thus remaining in office after the 2005 elections and still as a non-coalition government.
In these elections, however, the PPA and OLA parties lost their seats and other lesser known parties, failed to get enough votes for a seat in the Parliament. The DR party did not win a seat by a very narrow margin.
The winning parties (i.e. which gained seats) in the 2005 elections were the MEP, AVP, RED, and the MPA (which originated from the PPA party).
After the 2005 elections the PPA all but disappeared from the political scene and the OLA stopped existing after the former leader went bankrupt and lost support from the public after dubious project like the Racetrack, Airport (project that at the end cost twice the original budget) and the intent of selling the local telephone company to a foreign investor, which drew tens of thousands of protesters.
Since 2005 elections, the MEP has been accused by the opposition party and media with allegations of corruption and scandals. One such allegation resulted in the removal of selected authorities (related to naturalization and immigration) from the Minister of Justice (Hiacinto (Rudy) Croes) by means of a protocol signed by three Dutch Ministers and the government of Aruba, which at the end resulted in not being true.
Another scandal, which has not resulted in a conviction is related to the Minister of Labour. The Minister, T. F. (Ramon) Lee, was publicly accused by a female public servant of sexual harassment
, however the female public servant went on the air, claiming of a relationship between her and the minister which the Minister also accepted and no charges were ever pressed.
The latest scandal is the result of a bribery
letter, the now infamous "Namdar Letter", exposed by an OLA aide, Michael Williams. This case is currently under investigation by the Prosecutor's Office after it was revealed that Michael Williams was the person who requested the "Namdar Letter" in name of the government and former Minister Glembert Croes (OLA). The media in the first instance published the letter accusing the Government of corruption
but did not disclosed the date and the names of the people involved which later resulted not being connected to the government.
|Beatrix van Oranje
|
|30 April 1980
|-
|Governor General
|Fredis Refunjol
|
|11 May 2004
|-
!align=left|Prime Minister
|Mike Eman
|AVP
|1 November 2009
|}
The Governor General is appointed by the monarch
for a six-year term.
The Council of Ministers is elected by the Staten.
.jpg)
. The Estates
(Staten) have 21 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation
with a universal suffrage from 18 years of age.
Aruba has a multi-party system, with two or three strong parties
and a third party that is electorally successful.
Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol
, IOC, UNESCO
(associate), Parlatino, WCL
(World Confederation of Labour), WToO (associate) and Caribbean Tourism Organisation.
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
, takes place in a framework of a parliamentary
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
representative democratic
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
country
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
, whereby the prime minister
Prime Minister of Aruba
The Prime Minister of Aruba is Aruba's head of government. Together with Aruba's Council of Ministers, they form the executive branch of Aruban government.-List of Prime Ministers of Aruba:...
is the head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
, and of a multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
. Executive power
Executive Power
Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...
is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and parliament. The Judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
is independent of the executive and the legislature. Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
has full autonomy on most matters. Exceptions are defence, foreign affairs, and the Supreme Court. The constitution was enacted in January 1986.
Executive power rests with a governor, and a prime minister
Prime Minister of Aruba
The Prime Minister of Aruba is Aruba's head of government. Together with Aruba's Council of Ministers, they form the executive branch of Aruban government.-List of Prime Ministers of Aruba:...
heads an eight-member Cabinet. The governor of Aruba
Governor of Aruba
The Governor of Aruba is the representative on Aruba of the Dutch head of state . The governors duties are twofold: he represents and guards the general interests of the Kingdom and is head of the Aruban Government. He is accountable to the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. As the head...
is appointed for a six-year term by the monarch, and the prime minister and deputy prime minister are elected by the Staten for four-year terms. The legislature or Staten is made up of 21 members elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms.
Aruba's judicial system, which has mainly been derived from the Dutch system, operates independently of the legislature and the executive. Jurisdiction, including appeal, lies with the Common Court of Justice of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles and the Supreme Court of Justice in the Netherlands.
Political conditions
After a break in the coalition between the ruling Aruban People's PartyAruban People's Party
The Aruban People's Party is a Christian democrat political party in Aruba. AVP is an acronym for the Dutch name of the party....
(Arubaanse Volkspartij, AVP) and the Aruban Liberal Organization
Aruban Liberal Organization
The Aruban Liberal Organization is a liberal political party in Aruba.At the last elections for the Estates, 28 September 2001, the party won 5.7 % of popular votes and 1 out of 21 seats...
(Organisashon Liberal Arubano, OLA), the election of July 1998 was pushed forward to December 1997. Unfortunately, the results were unclear, with no clear mandate for a particular coalition. The MEP announced that they preferred a coalition between the large parties, the MEP and the AVP. The message was not clear enough from the MEP side and the negotiations went sluggish. After more than 6 months of talks, the AVP started negotiations with its previous coalition partner and succeeded to form a weak but stable enough coalition. The MEP remained in the opposition, a place strategically favored by the party leader Nelson (Nel) O. Oduber.
Four years later, in September 2001, the strategy paid off and the MEP won a decisive victory from the opposition. The MEP took 12 of 21 seats to form Aruba's first non-coalition government. The AVP on the other hand lost heavily and retained only 6 seats. The other coalition partner of the AVP OLA, retained only 1 seat. The PPA, which endured two seatless elections, got 2 seats.
After the 2001 election, the AVP leader, Dr. Robertico (Tico) Croes stepped down as party leader and left politics as the result of the election results. He went on to pursue a career in teaching in the United States of America (University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
).
The AVP underwent a long and arduous restructuring process which included a new party leader, Michiel (Mike) G. Eman, grandson of one of the party founders and consultant of former Prime Minister Henny Eman. In the 2005 elections, the AVP gained seats and remained the largest opposition party.
The MEP, on the other hand lost votes, but managed to only lose a single seat, thus remaining in office after the 2005 elections and still as a non-coalition government.
In these elections, however, the PPA and OLA parties lost their seats and other lesser known parties, failed to get enough votes for a seat in the Parliament. The DR party did not win a seat by a very narrow margin.
The winning parties (i.e. which gained seats) in the 2005 elections were the MEP, AVP, RED, and the MPA (which originated from the PPA party).
| Party (alph. order) |
1994 |
1997 |
2001 |
2005 |
'01 vs '05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVP | 10 | 10 | 6 | 8 | +2 |
| MEP | 9 | 9 | 12 | 11 | -1 |
| MPA | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1 | n/a |
| OLA | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| PPA | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -2 |
| RED | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1 | n/a |
| DR | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a |
After the 2005 elections the PPA all but disappeared from the political scene and the OLA stopped existing after the former leader went bankrupt and lost support from the public after dubious project like the Racetrack, Airport (project that at the end cost twice the original budget) and the intent of selling the local telephone company to a foreign investor, which drew tens of thousands of protesters.
Since 2005 elections, the MEP has been accused by the opposition party and media with allegations of corruption and scandals. One such allegation resulted in the removal of selected authorities (related to naturalization and immigration) from the Minister of Justice (Hiacinto (Rudy) Croes) by means of a protocol signed by three Dutch Ministers and the government of Aruba, which at the end resulted in not being true.
Another scandal, which has not resulted in a conviction is related to the Minister of Labour. The Minister, T. F. (Ramon) Lee, was publicly accused by a female public servant of sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
, however the female public servant went on the air, claiming of a relationship between her and the minister which the Minister also accepted and no charges were ever pressed.
The latest scandal is the result of a bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
letter, the now infamous "Namdar Letter", exposed by an OLA aide, Michael Williams. This case is currently under investigation by the Prosecutor's Office after it was revealed that Michael Williams was the person who requested the "Namdar Letter" in name of the government and former Minister Glembert Croes (OLA). The media in the first instance published the letter accusing the Government of corruption
Corruption
Corruption usually refers to spiritual or moral impurity.Corruption may also refer to:* Corruption , an American crime film* Corruption , a British horror film...
but did not disclosed the date and the names of the people involved which later resulted not being connected to the government.
Executive branch
!align=left|Queen|Beatrix van Oranje
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
|
|30 April 1980
|-
|Governor General
|Fredis Refunjol
Fredis Refunjol
Fredis Jose Refunjol is an Aruban politician serving as the current Governor of Aruba. Originally a teacher, he has served as a government official for the past twenty years, starting as a Member of the Estates of Aruba....
|
|11 May 2004
|-
!align=left|Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Aruba
The Prime Minister of Aruba is Aruba's head of government. Together with Aruba's Council of Ministers, they form the executive branch of Aruban government.-List of Prime Ministers of Aruba:...
|Mike Eman
Mike Eman
Michiel Godfried "Mike" Eman is an Aruban politician who is the 5th Prime Minister of Aruba and the current leader of the Aruban People's Party , which holds the new majority in the Aruban Estates as a result of the seventh Aruban General Elections held on 25 September 2009...
|AVP
|1 November 2009
|}
The Governor General is appointed by the monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
for a six-year term.
The Council of Ministers is elected by the Staten.
Legislative branch
Aruba elects on national level a legislatureLegislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
. The Estates
Estates of Aruba
The Estates of Aruba are the unicameral legislature or parliament of Aruba. The Estates have 21 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation. Each member holds their seats until Parliament is dissolved which is every four years by a general election...
(Staten) have 21 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
with a universal suffrage from 18 years of age.
Aruba has a multi-party system, with two or three strong parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
and a third party that is electorally successful.
Political parties and elections
International relations
International organization participation:Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
, IOC, UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
(associate), Parlatino, WCL
WCL
WCL may stand for:* Washington College of Law, American University's law school in Washington, D.C.* Wellington City Libraries, the Wellington public libraries * West Coast League, Summer baseball league in the Pacific Northwest...
(World Confederation of Labour), WToO (associate) and Caribbean Tourism Organisation.