An analysis of the results of the latest election in Aruba shows a political landscape that requires deep reflection on the part of the Kingdom authorities, including the State Secretary for Kingdom Relations, Eric van der Burg. The official figures from the Electoral Council reveal that the coalition of AVP and Futuro does not represent the absolute majority of the voting public.
The Coalition Figures The parties currently forming the coalition received the following support:
• AVP: 17,876 votes (9 seats)
• Futuro: 7,349 votes (3 seats)
• Coalition Total: 25,225 votes
Despite these two parties holding a majority of seats in parliament, the reality of the total vote shows a decision by the electorate that did not support this combination.
The Opposition Vote and Minor Parties The decision of the voters who cast their ballots and did not vote for either AVP or Futuro represents a total of 9,161 votes, distributed among the other 7 participating parties:
• RAIZ: 2,323 votes
• Action21: 2,204 votes
• MAS: 1,722 votes
• LPR: 1,349 votes
• RED: 635 votes
• HTC: 505 votes
• CURPA: 423 votes
The Resonance of the Majority that Manifested Against When calculating the full electorate that voted for other options or did not directly support the coalition line, the numbers speak for themselves:
• Abstentionism (People who did not vote): 13,461 eligible voters stayed home.
• MEP: 17,572 votes
• PPA: 3,538 votes
• Votes from the other 7 parties: 9,161 votes
• Votes for Dr. Ryçond De Meza (AVP): 1,476 votes that do not agree with AVP’s line
This total sum reaches a mass of 45,208 citizens who did not give their backing to the AVP + Futuro coalition.
Conclusion These data put into question the argument that the majority of the Aruban people chose the current governance and the direction the current AVP–FUTURO government is taking Aruba through. The electoral reality shows that a substantial majority of the people expressed themselves against or decided not to participate in the process, which demands a broader dialogue and consideration for all societal decisions.