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The Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba (Dutch : Gevolmachtigde Minister van Aruba) represents the constituent country of Aruba in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The current Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba is Ady Thijsen. The Minister Plenipotentiary and his cabinet are seated in the Arubahuis (Aruba House) in The Hague.
A significant difference between the Netherlands ministers and the Ministers Plenipotentiary is that the former ministers are accountable for their politics and policies to the Dutch parliament. The Ministers Plenipotentiary, however, are accountable to their national governments, which is the Estates of Aruba in case of Aruba. Therefore, the Ministers Plenipotentiary usually do not resign in the event of a Dutch cabinet crisis. [1]
The following table lists the ministers plenipotentiary of Aruba that have been in office since Aruba gained its status aparte in 1986:
Name | Period | Party |
---|---|---|
John Merryweather | January 10, 1986–February 11, 1989 | PPA |
R.H. Laclé | February 9, 1989–March 7, 1991 | MEP |
Ella Tromp-Yarzagaray | March 8, 1991–March 1, 1993 | MEP |
Candelario Wever | March 2, 1993–September 1994 | MEP |
Mito Croes | September 1994–October 30, 2001 | AVP |
Ella Tromp-Yarzagaray | October 30, 2001–November 7, 2005 | MEP |
Frido Croes | November 8, 2005–October 31, 2009 | MEP |
Edwin Abath | November 1, 2009–November 13, 2013 | AVP |
Alfonso Boekhoudt | November 14, 2013–November 17, 2016 | AVP |
Juan David Yrausquin | November 17, 2016–November 20, 2017 | AVP |
Guillfred Besaril | November 20, 2017–June 10, 2022 | MEP |
Ady Thijsen | October 13, 2022- | MEP |
The prime minister of the Netherlands is the head of the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands. Although the monarch is the de jure head of government, the prime minister de facto occupies this role as the officeholder chairs the Council of Ministers and coordinates its policy with the rest of the cabinet. In his role as head of government, the prime minister also represents the Netherlands in the European Council. The current prime minister, Dick Schoof, has been in the position since 2 July 2024, with his cabinet being sworn in on the same day.
The cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Netherlands. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Schoof cabinet, which has been in power since 2 July 2024. It is headed by Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
The governor of Aruba is the representative on Aruba of the Dutch monarch. The governor's duties are twofold; he represents and guards the general interests of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is head of the Aruban government. He is accountable to the government of the kingdom. As the head of the Aruban government, the governor is inviolable; the ministers are responsible. The governor does not have political responsibilities and is not part of the Aruban cabinet. During the formation of a cabinet, the governor plays an important role. The governor is appointed by the monarch for a period of six years. This period can be prolonged for one more term of six years. The governor is supported and advised by the Council of Advice, consisting of at least five members, appointed by the governor, advising him on the drafts of state ordinances, state decrees, kingdom acts and general administrative orders.
The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom is the executive council of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is a state consisting of four constituent countries: Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten.
The minister plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles represented the constituent country of the Netherlands Antilles in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The minister plenipotentiary at the 2010 dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles was Marcel van der Plank. The minister plenipotentiary and his cabinet were seated in the "Antillenhuis" in The Hague.
Francisco Walfrido "Frido" Croes was an Aruban politician and schoolteacher who held the office of Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba from 2005 to 2009. Prior to that, he served as a member of the Estates of Aruba from 1989 to 1994, and as its President from 2001 to 2004. He also served as Minister of Education from 2004 to 2005.
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.
The Minister Plenipotentiary of Curaçao represents the constituent country of Curaçao in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The current Minister Plenipotentiary of Curaçao is Carlson Manuel. The Minister Plenipotentiary and his cabinet are seated in the "Curaçaohuis" in The Hague.
The Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten represents the constituent country of Sint Maarten in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The current Minister Plenipotentiary is Patrice Gumbs with Gracita Arrindell as the acting deputy.
Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has a government formed by the monarch, represented by the governor, and the ministers. The Prime Minister of Sint Maarten presides over the council of ministers. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The minister plenipotentiary is not part of the government and represents the Sint Maarten government in the Netherlands. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The country is a parliamentary representative democratic country with a multi-party system. Sint Maarten has full autonomy on most matters, with the exceptions summed up in the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands under the title "Kingdom affairs". The Constitution of Sint Maarten was ratified in September 2010, and entered into force on 10 October 2010.
A minister plenipotentiary represents the government of one of the Caribbean constituent countries as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The minister is part of the government of that country, but resides in the Netherlands, where they are part of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Antonito Gordiano "Mito" Croes was an Aruban politician of the Aruban People's Party. He served as Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as member of the Estates and government minister of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.
Juan Alfonso Boekhoudt is an Aruban politician serving as the 4th governor of Aruba since 2017. He previously served as minister plenipotentiary from 14 November 2013 to 17 November 2016.
Juan David Yrausquin is an Aruban politician. He was Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba between 17 November 2016 and 20 November 2017. He was Minister of Finance between 2013 and 2014 in the second Mike Eman cabinet.
The Minister Plenipotentiary of Suriname represented the constituent country of Suriname in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has existed from 1954 until the Independence of Suriname on 25 November 1975.
Efraïn Jonckheer was a businessman and politician of the Netherlands Antilles. Jonckheer served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles from 8 November 1954 until 14 February 1968. He served as Minister Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles from 1968 until 1971, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Venezuela from 1971 until 1976, and to Costa Rica from 1976 until 1982. As of 2022, Jonckheer was the longest serving Prime Minister in the history of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Sylvius Gerard Marie "Boy" Rozendal was an Curaçao politician and journalist. He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles from 1971 until 1975, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister from 1969 until 1971, and Minister Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles from 1971 until 1975.
John William Merryweather was an Aruban landscape architect and politician. He served as the first Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba from 1986 until 1989.
Alicia Angela Tromp-Yarzagaray, known as Ella Tromp-Yarzagaray, is an Aruban former politician of the People's Electoral Movement party. She was the first woman to hold the positions of Minister of Finance and Minister Plenipotentiary in the country.
Juan Edberto"Ady"Thijsen is an Aruban politician. He has served as Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba since 2022 and Permanent Representative of Aruba to the European Union since December 2021. He had been Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary from 2021. Thijsen was member of the Parliament of Aruba for the People's Electoral Movement between 2005 and 2021, and served as its President between 2017 and 2021.