From the 29th of May 2017 until the 14th of June 2021, Eugene Rhuggenaath (born 4 February 1970) was the

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

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Prime minister
before Gilmar Pisas won the 2021 elections. He previously served as Minister for Economic Development in the Koeiman-Cabinet in 2016. He served as a member of the

Island Council An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ca ...

(2003–2009) and a member of parliament till 2021. During the

2017 Curaçao general election Early general elections were held in Curaçao on 28 April 2017 after the fall of the government led by Hensley Koeiman. Background The previous general elections in 2016 resulted in the formation of a four-party coalition government consisting ...

his party received the most votes. Rhuggenaath was appointed formateur by the governor to form a coalition government. Rhuggenaath was sworn in as prime minister on 29 May 2017. On 29 September 2017 Rhuggenaath held a speech calling for more acceptance at the Curaçao Gay Pride, activists called the speech "historical". During the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, Rhuggenaath refused to accept a financial aid package by the Netherlands, while 20 per cent of the population was dependent on food aid. Ultimately the conditions of the financial aid package were accepted, the conditions still haven't been implemented, requiring sacrifices in the exuberant loans in the public sector. At the same time, Rhuggenaath and his cabinet raised their salaries in order to subevent the conditions of the financial aid package. Meanwhile, the National Debt has risen to around 100 per cent of GDP, after the Netherlands provided a debt relief package in 2010, achieving a 28 per cent National Debt compared to GDP. Furthermore, Standard and Poor's Sovereign ratings lowered its expectations due to financial mismanagement preceding the COVID-19 crisis, the Financial Supervisory Board already flagged Rhuggenaath's government several times preceding the COVID-19 crisis that it was in breach of the debt rules imposed as part the debt relief scheme implemented by the Netherlands in 2010. Rhuggenaath was elected for parliament in the

2021 Curaçao general election General elections took place in Curaçao on 19 March 2021, two days after the 2021 Dutch general election. Electoral system The 21 members of the Estates are elected by proportional representation. Parties that won at least one seat in the 2 ...

, but relinquished his seat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhuggenaath, Eugene 1970 births Living people Prime Ministers of Curaçao Economy ministers of Curaçao Members of the Estates of Curaçao Party for the Restructured Antilles politicians Recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman