RAIZ

RAIZ (lit. 'Roots') is an Aruban political party. The party was founded on 9 June 2017 by Tai-Foo Lee and Ursell Arends, the latter of whom is also the party leader. Raiz is a middle-class party with a progressive, social-democratic slant. It aims to distinguish itself from the traditional parties through innovative campaign and political culture. The party's spearheads are public finances and transparency of governance.

Participation in elections
RAIZ debuted in the state elections of 2017 and was the first Aruban political party to also present a calculation of its party program. With a list of five candidates, the party obtained 2,107 votes, but was 82 votes short for a state seat. Between 2017 and 2021, it remained active as an extra-parliamentary party. RAIZ managed to secure two state seats in the 2021 elections amazing; it has since become the third largest party in Aruba with 5,430 votes.