Politics of Aruba
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| Aruba |
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Politics of 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 pluriform 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 but it 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 general 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.
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[edit] Political conditions
After a break in the coalition between the ruling Aruban People's Party (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 votes equally divided between the MEP, The AVP, and the OLA. After negotiations failed to unite the MEP and AVP, a new coalition between the AVP and OLA formed, which forced the MEP to be the opposition. Four years later in September 2001, the opposition MEP won a decisive victory in a free election, taking 12 of 21 seats to form Aruba's first one-party government. It remained in office after the 2005 elections.
[edit] Executive branch
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen | Beatrix | 30 April 1980 | |
| Governor General | Fredis Refunjol | 11 May 2004 | |
| Prime Minister | Nelson O. Oduber | MEP | 30 October 2001 |
The Governor General is appointed by the monarch for a six-year term.
The Council of Ministers is elected by the Staten.
[edit] Legislative branch
Aruba elects on national level a legislature. 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.
[edit] Political parties and elections
- For other political parties see List of political parties in Aruba. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Aruba.
| Parties | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| People's Electoral Movement (Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo) | 43 | 11 | |
| Aruban People's Party (Arubaanse Volkspartij) | 32 | 8 | |
| Aruban Patriotic Movement (Movimento Patriotico Arubano) | 7 | 1 | |
| Network (RED) | 7 | 1 | |
| Real Democracy (Democracia Real) | 6 | 0 | |
| Aruban Liberal Organization (Organisacion Liberal Arubiano) | 4 | 0 | |
| Aruban Patriotic Party (Partido Patriótico Arubano) | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 |
[edit] Additional Political Parties
[edit] Judicial branch
Joint High Court of Justice (judges are appointed by the monarch)
[edit] International relations
International organization participation: Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), Parlatino, WCL(World Confederation of Labour), WToO (associate) and Caribbean Tourism Organisation.
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