Evelyn Wever-Croes

Who is Evelyn Wever-Croes?

Evelyna Christina "Evelyn" Wever-Croes is an Aruban politician who made history as the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Aruba. Born on 5 December 1966, she belongs to a politically prominent family connected to independence leader Betico Croes. She studied Antillean law at the University of the Netherlands Antilles before completing a degree in tax law at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She worked for many years in Aruba's tax administration, rising to head her department, and later became a tax lawyer handling major local and international corporate cases. Wever-Croes entered electoral politics in 2009 as a candidate for the People's Electoral Movement (MEP), the party founded decades earlier by Betico Croes, and was elected to parliament that year. She became leader of the MEP in 2011, and after the 2017 general election she formed a coalition government and was sworn in as the fourth Prime Minister of Aruba, later winning re-election and continuing to lead the government into the 2020s. Beyond her political career she is a mother of three and has spoken about painting as a personal creative outlet. Her tenure marked a milestone for women's political representation in the Dutch Caribbean.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Evelyn Wever-Croes" · Council of Women World Leaders, "Evelyn Wever Croes" · Prime Minister's Office of Aruba, official biography (pmo.arubagov.org)