How is Aruba governed within the Kingdom of the Netherlands?

Aruba is an autonomous state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a status it has held since 1986 when it separated from the Netherlands Antilles.12

The island's governance structure includes the following components:

• Executive Authority: A governor, appointed to a six-year term by the Dutch crown, serves as the formal head of government and representative of the reigning monarch of the Netherlands. Actual executive power is held by a Council of Ministers, which is led by a prime minister.2
• Legislative Authority: The island features a 21-member unicameral legislature known as the Staten (Parliament of Aruba). The Council of Ministers is responsible to this body, which is elected by universal adult suffrage.12

While Aruba maintains this autonomous status, the government decided in 1994, in conjunction with the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles, to postpone indefinitely any transition to full independence.2