According to a Central Bank survey, 93% of consumers indicate they can buy less than 6 months ago!
With each passing day, it becomes more evident that the AVP-Futuro coalition has failed to fulfill the promises they made to the electorate of Aruba. Both parties based their electoral campaigns on the commitment to improve purchasing power, reduce the cost of living, control inflation, and ensure a general decrease in consumer prices in Aruba.
Purchasing Power Continues to Decline
Geoffrey Wever promised that Futuro would fill empty refrigerators within just three months of governing. However, more than a year later, the reality is completely different. Today, our people are plagued by structural inflation, facing a drastic increase in the cost of living due to the current management. Electricity and water rates have NOT gone down; the price of gas has risen as a consequence of decisions made by the minister himself; gasoline and diesel prices are at a record high; and the cost of groceries is higher than ever.
It is not MEP saying this—the Central Bank of Aruba (BCA) itself confirms it in its most recent Consumer Confidence Survey for the first quarter of 2026. The data is alarming: no less than 93% of Aruban consumers confirm that they can buy less compared to six months ago. Families have no money to spend; the continuous inflation and the increase in daily expenses have drastically weakened purchasing power.
This pessimism is reflected in the Consumer Confidence Index, which dropped by 3.7 points to fall to 92.7. According to the BCA, both the perception of the current economic situation and the expectations for the coming months registered a serious deterioration, demonstrating a total lack of confidence in our economy.
Fear That the Cost of Living Will Continue to Rise
One of the main concerns arising from the survey is the expectation that prices will continue to go up: 96% of consumers expect a higher cost of living in the next six months.
Beyond this, the capacity to save has dropped drastically. The survey reveals that more families are forced to reduce or stop their savings; the percentage of those who are saving less rose by 14 points, reaching a total of 46%. These figures confirm that inflation and the continuous cost of living keep weakening consumer confidence.
Conclusion
The Central Bank’s survey confirms once again what we have been saying: the situation in Aruba has not gotten better, but has structurally worsened under the AVP-Futuro Government. Purchasing power has declined, Aruba has become more expensive, and the poverty level continues to rise. This is reaffirmed by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), which indicated that the subsistence minimum (bestaansminimum) for a family of four has risen again, reaching the alarming figure of 5,602 florins.
While the people wait for relief, ministers are partying, traveling, and continuing to squander the people’s money. Minister Gerlien Croes alone has traveled 14 times in 14 months of work, an average of 1 trip per month.
Wherever you turn, there is an explosive increase in prices: no price has gone down, the cost of living has not improved, and purchasing power keeps declining. Every day, the people feel the effects of prices in Aruba. Aruba deserves better; the people did not vote to be punished in this manner!