Mike de Meza announced on Friday evening, November 6, that he was leaving AVP’s parliamentary group and would continue as an independent, according to 24ora. The announcement came during Aruba’s supplementary budget debate following a disagreement over his proposed minimum-wage motion.
Wage motion behind the dispute
De Meza said he had prepared a proposal for an immediate Afl. 200 increase, with scope for a larger adjustment later. He described possible compensation for businesses through turnover-tax arrangements. These were his proposals, not an enacted wage change.
According to his account, the motion did not reach a vote after FUTURO opposed it and AVP withdrew it. He criticised that decision and said he wanted Parliament to decide through a vote. The account reports his explanation; it does not independently establish the internal communications he described.
Formal notification to follow
De Meza said he intended to write to Parliament’s president the following day to formalise his departure from the group. NoticiaCla also reported his announcement. The available reports do not confirm receipt of that letter, announce the government’s fall or establish how he will vote on future confidence questions.
Source: Original report.
Image: Conceptual editorial illustration, not a documentary photograph of the reported people, place or event.
