ORANJESTAD – Aruba’s opposition party Movimiento Electoral di Pueblo (MEP) is demanding answers from Prime Minister Mike Eman’s government over reports that Aruba refused landing authorization for a private aircraft carrying Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado from Panama on her planned journey back to Venezuela.
The MEP parliamentary faction has submitted 17 questions asking the government to clarify whether a request to land in Aruba was received, who made the decision not to authorize the flight and whether political or diplomatic considerations played a role.
The questions follow recent reports that Machado sought to travel from Panama to Venezuela via Aruba and Curaçao, but that landing permission was not granted.
MEP wants the prime minister to confirm or deny that Aruba received a request from Panama involving a private aircraft on which Machado was expected to be a passenger. If such a request was received, the party wants to know when it arrived, which Aruban authority handled it, what type of aircraft and flight were involved and how many passengers were expected to be on board.
A central question is whether Aruba actually rejected the requested landing authorization.
If it did, MEP is demanding disclosure of the precise legal or operational grounds for the refusal, including the legislation or policy used to justify the decision and the identity of the authority that made it.
The party specifically wants to establish whether the decision was made by the Aruban government, an aviation authority or another agency.
MEP is also asking whether Machado’s presence aboard the aircraft influenced the decision and, if so, on what grounds.
The opposition faction is seeking information about possible involvement by Venezuela, the Netherlands and the United States. It asks whether the Venezuelan government contacted Aruba directly or through diplomatic channels concerning the flight or Machado’s possible presence aboard the aircraft.
Similar questions are directed at the Kingdom government. MEP wants to know whether the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Dutch state secretary responsible for Kingdom Relations or other Dutch authorities communicated with Aruba about the matter.
The faction also asks whether the United States had direct or indirect contact with Aruba concerning Machado’s planned return to Venezuela.
One of the most politically sensitive questions concerns possible outside pressure. MEP wants the government to state whether Venezuela, the Netherlands, the United States or any other government exerted political or diplomatic pressure to prevent the aircraft from landing in Aruba.
The party is also seeking clarity on whether the decision was based exclusively on regular aviation, security and immigration requirements or whether political and diplomatic considerations played a role.
Machado’s travel documents are another issue raised by MEP. The faction asks whether Aruba knew she would be aboard the aircraft, when authorities became aware of that information and whether she possessed a valid travel document at the time. It also wants to know whether her documentation influenced the decision.
The government is being asked to provide Parliament with all relevant documents concerning the landing request, including the original application, the decision and written communications with other governments, except for information legally protected by confidentiality requirements.
MEP ultimately wants an unequivocal answer to whether Aruba prevented Machado from traveling through the island on her way to Venezuela.
The faction also wants Prime Minister Eman to clarify whether any decision was taken before or after consultations with the Kingdom government, the United States or Venezuela, and whether Aruba acted independently and exclusively within its own legal authority.
The questions were submitted under Aruba’s constitutional and parliamentary rules. MEP has requested written answers within three weeks, setting October 19, 2026, as the deadline for the government to respond.