Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná and 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Curaçao. In 1986, it became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and acquired the formal name the Country of Aruba.
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 governor in his capacity as the King's representative is the de jure 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 the Parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Aruba has full autonomy on most matters. Exceptions are defense, foreign affairs, and the Supreme Court. The constitution was enacted in 1986.
Gilberto François "Betico" Croes was an Aruban political activist who was a proponent for Aruba's separation from the Netherlands Antilles. This eventually occurred in 1986, but following a car accident on 31 December 1985, Croes lapsed into a coma and never became conscious to see his accomplishment. He is best remembered as "Libertador" (liberator) and as the father of the Aruban people.
Aruba elects a legislature on the national level. The Estates (Staten) have 21 members, elected for a four-year term by Open list Party-list proportional representation. Seats are distributed between parties that have gained at least one full quota using the Hagenbach-Bischoff system. Before obtaining the status as land (English: country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba participated in elections for its Island Council and for the Aruba constituency of the parliament of the Netherlands Antilles.
The Aruban People's Party is a Christian-democratic political party in Aruba founded in 1942. AVP is an acronym for the Dutch name of the party.
The People's Electoral Movement is a social democratic political party in Aruba. Following the 2001 general election for the Parliament of Aruba the party won 52.4% of popular vote and 12 out of 21 seats. In the 2005 general election, the party won 43% of the popular vote and 11 out of 21 seats thus won the election and remained in power. In the 2009 general election, MEP lost 2 seats and won 36% of the vote, subsequently losing the election.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Aruba and Curaçao, two constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in accordance with a ruling from the Supreme Court of the Netherlands issued on 12 July 2024. In September 2021, a lower court in Curaçao ruled that preventing same-sex couples from marrying violates the equality provisions of the Constitution of Curaçao, but left the decision of whether to legalise same-sex marriage up to the Parliament. In December 2022, the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba ruled on appeal that Aruba's and Curaçao's same-sex marriage bans were unconstitutional. The court order was set to go into effect on 7 March 2023 if not appealed to the Supreme Court; however, the governments of both Curaçao and Aruba subsequently appealed. On 12 July 2024, the Supreme Court upheld the lower court ruling, effectively legalizing same-sex marriage in Aruba and Curaçao with immediate effect.
The Parliament of Aruba is the unicameral legislature or parliament of Aruba. The parliament has 21 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. Each member holds their seats until the parliament is dissolved, which is every four years by a general election. The leader of the party which gains a majority of seats usually becomes the prime minister.
The Arubaanse Voetbal Bond is the governing body of football in Aruba. Its headquarters are at Frans Figaroa sports complex in the city of Noord. It's a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional football, including the men's, and youth national teams. The AVB is also responsible for sanctioning referees and football tournaments for most football leagues in Aruba.
An election of Members of the European Parliament representing Netherlands constituency took place on 4 June 2009. Seventeen parties competed in a D'Hondt type election for the available 25 seats. For the first time, all Dutch residents of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba were also entitled to vote in the election.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands, commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The realm is not a federation; it is a unitary monarchy with its largest subdivision, the eponymous Netherlands, predominantly located in Northwestern Europe and with several smaller island territories located in the Caribbean.
General elections were held in Aruba on 25 September 2009. The elections were the seventh to be held for membership of the Estates since autonomy was granted by the Dutch in 1986, and resulted in a landslide victory for the Aruban People's Party, which won 12 of the 21 seats in the Estates.
The illegal drug trade in Aruba involves trans-shipment of cocaine and other drugs through Aruba to the United States.
General elections were held in Aruba on 27 September 2013. The result was a victory for the ruling Aruban People's Party, which won 13 of the 21 seats in the Estates.
Evelyna Christina "Evelyn" Wever-Croes is an Aruban politician and current Prime Minister of Aruba, serving since November 2017. She is the first woman to hold this office. She is a member of the People's Electoral Movement (MEP) and has been the leader of the party since 2011.
General elections were held in Aruba on 22 September 2017.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Aruba was a part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was documented for the first time in Aruba on 13 March 2020. As of 29 May, all cases recovered. On 29 June, two new cases were discovered.
This national electoral calendar for 2021 lists the national/federal elections held in 2021 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
Action 21 is an Aruban political party in the centre with its ideology based in liberalism and progressivism. The party's name is derived from its desire to be the party of the 21st century, as well as the fact it contests the 21 seats of the Parliament of Aruba and its first electoral participation was 25 June 2021.
General elections were held in Aruba on 6 December 2024 to elect all 21 members of Parliament.
