Mito Croes

Antonito Gordiano "Mito" Croes (10 May 1946 – 7 August 2016) was an Aruban politician of the Aruban People's Party. He served as Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as member of the Estates and government minister of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

Early and personal life Croes was born on Aruba on 10 May 1946. He studied law at Leiden University and the Katholieke Hogeschool Tilburg in the Netherlands.

Political career Croes started his political career for the Aruban People's Party as a member of the Island Council of Aruba. From early to November 1982 Croes served as member of the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles. He subsequently became Minister of Political Structure of the Netherlands Antilles and also temporarily served as Minister of Justice until August 1983. Croes then returned to the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles, of which he stayed member until 1986, when Aruba gained its status as a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Croes subsequently was appointed as the country's first Minister for Welfare Affairs (Education, Culture, Employment and Social Affairs). Croes was a candidate for the Christian Democratic Appeal in the 2009 European Parliament election. His appointment had been delayed for several months due to political difficulties between Aruba and the Netherlands. Croes resigned on 1 June 2016.

Croes served as political adviser to Aruban Prime Minister Mike Eman, with the two calling almost daily. Eman described him as: "possibly the most knowledgeable person on the political structure within the Kingdom of the Netherlands".