Michiel Godfried "Mike" Eman (born 1 September 1961) is an
Aruban politician currently serving as the 5th
Prime Minister of Aruba
The prime minister of Aruba (; ) is de facto head of the executive branch of government. Together with Aruba's Council of Ministers, they form the executive branch of Aruban government.
List of prime ministers of Aruba
Government of Ar ...
. He previously served as the 3rd Prime Minister from 2009 to 2017
His political career began in 2001, but Eman has been involved in politics in one way or another since his childhood. His grandfather, father and brother were all prominent politicians in their lifetimes, with
Henny Eman
Jan Hendrik Albert "Henny" Eman (20 March 1948 – 6 January 2025) was an Aruban politician who served as the 1st Prime Minister of Aruba from 1986 to 1989 and again from 1994 to 2001.
Introduction
Jan Hendrik Albert Eman, simply known as H ...
having preceded him in office (twice) as Prime Minister, including as the first to hold the office after Aruba's status aparte in 1986.
Eman is a graduate of the
University of the Netherlands Antilles
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
(UNA, now known as the
University of Curaçao) earning his law degree in 1992 with a thesis entitled "The Position of the Institution of the Public Prosecutor vis à vis the Minister of Justice in a Small Scale Community." In 1996 he earned a degree in Civil Notary Law from the same university.
From 1992 to 2001, Eman worked as a deputy civil law notary and co-founded several private commercial ventures and foundations for political studies.
He began his formal political career in September 2001 when he appeared 3rd on the list of the AVP. The 2001 elections did not go in favor of the AVP causing the party to lose 4 seats in the parliament. This led to the decision of the AVP leader,
Tico Croes, to relinquish position. The leadership was handed over to the former minister of Justice,
Pedro E. (Eddy) Croes. Mike Eman became the party's VP and the minority whip leader in parliament. subsequently Eman was elected party leader in 2003. After the 2009 elections, the AVP regained 2 seats, and Eman's part became thus the majority party in parliament.
Eman first cabinet was sworn on October 30, 2009, following his party's decisive victory in the 2013 election; his second cabinet was sworn in on 30 October 2013.
In 2017, he said at the contract signing of the
Sunrise Solar Park, "Aruba has proven the world that, although we are limited in size, we can have big dreams and important goals. Maybe we inherited an arid soil, but we are blessed with an abundance of sun and wind to turn that into energy and well being for our society. We have translated those gifts into a vision to make our island totally sustainable by 2020."
Following the
2017 general election Eman's party lost its majority in the
Parliament of Aruba
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 ...
. Eman subsequently announced that he would resign as party leader and that he would not take a seat in the upcoming parliament.
Following the 2024 general election, Eman formed a coalition between his party; AVP, and FUTURO.
Early life and career
Eman was born in
Oranjestad,
Aruba
Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...
and raised in
Rancho, to Albert (Shon A) Eman, at the time leader of the AVP and his wife Blanche Eman-Harthogh. Mike became the youngest brother of Maria Albertina (Chuchu),
Jan Hendrik Albert (Henny), Melva, Godlieb, Siegfried (Ven), Frederik Everhard (Braat), and Albert.
Eman is
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
and plays an active role in the Jewish community and has worked to promote the presence of
Chabad
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...
in Aruba. His mother was Jewish and his father was Protestant.
References
External links
www.mikeeman.com(in
Papiamento
Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; ) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao ( ABC Islands).
The language, spelled in Aruba and in Bonaire and ...
)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eman, Mycaruba
1961 births
Aruban Jews
Living people
Prime ministers of Aruba
Jewish prime ministers
Aruban People's Party politicians
Members of the Estates of Aruba
People from Oranjestad, Aruba
Aruban businesspeople
University of Curaçao alumni