Suriname's ruling party, opposition nearly tied in parliamentary election
Suriname's opposition leader Jennifer Geerlings-Simons of the National Democratic Party (NDP) celebrates with supporters as she proclaims herself the winner of the presidency as counting continues during the National Assembly election, in Paramaribo, Suriname, May 26, 2025. REUTERS/Ranu Abhelakh
PARAMARIBO (Reuters) -Suriname's ruling party and its top opposition rival won almost the same number of parliamentary seats in an election on Sunday, setting the stage for complex coalition negotiations that will determine who becomes the country's next president.
The South American nation is on the cusp of a predicted oil boom, but campaigning for the ballot featured little debate about what the next government, which will hold power until 2030, should do with the income.
With 43 polling stations yet to be counted, results showed the opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) - founded by former President Desi Bouterse, who dominated Surinamese politics for decades but died a fugitive last year - had won 18 seats, with 79,544 votes.
The ruling Progressive Reform Party (VHP) of current President Chan Santokhi won 17 seats, with 75,983.
Smaller parties, now potential kingmakers, won the remaining 16 of 51 total seats.
An unknown number of votes from the uncounted polling stations remained to be added to the tally as of early Monday. Turnout so far was 58% of about 400,000 eligible voters.
Negotiations between parties to choose a president and cabinet ministers for the former Dutch colony, independent since 1975, were already expected to take weeks even prior to the tight result.
A two-thirds majority in parliament is required to elect the president.
FIRST MAJOR OFFSHORE PROJECT
Santokhi, a 66-year-old former police commissioner who has campaigned to remain in office, won more votes than any other lawmaker, just under 40,000.
"We asked for a mandate and this is the mandate that the people have given. With that, we now have to move forward. It is up to us to have talks with other political parties based on this," Santokhi, who has not ruled out cooperation with any other party, told local newspaper the SurinameHerald.
The NDP is set to back its party head Jennifer Simons, a doctor who served as parliamentary speaker for a decade until 2020, for president.
Simons was second in vote tallies, winning 34,750 votes.
The NDP will not work with the VHP, NDP Vice Chair Sergio Akiemboto told reporters late on Sunday.
NDP founder Bouterse left office in 2020, the year after he was convicted in the 1982 murders of 15 government critics.
When the conviction was upheld in 2023, Bouterse went into hiding, dying at the age of 79 at an unknown location on Christmas Eve.
Suriname's first big offshore energy development, the Gran Morgu oil and gas project, is set to begin production in 2028.
The project is led by TotalEnergies. Discovered reserves may allow Suriname to compete with neighbor Guyana - whose economy grew 43.6% last year - as a prominent producer.
(Reporting by Ank Kuipers in Paramaribo;Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb;Editing by Helen Popper)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
A Brazilian medal for a Japanese princess
Gracious visit: Princess Kako (right) greeting a welcoming party at the Bunkyo Brazilian Society of Japanese Culture in Sao Paulo. — AP Princess Kako of Akishino, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, received the highest order of Brazil's powerhouse state of Sao Paulo as she kicks off an 11-day trip to the South American nation. Her trip also marks the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The younger daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko arrived on Thursday in Sao Paulo. She held appointments with members of the Japanese community on Friday and finished her schedule at a dinner with Governor Tarcisio de Freitas at the state government palace. She was awarded the Order of the Ipiranga at a closed ceremony. Princess Kako will visit another seven cities, including Rio de Janeiro and capital Brasilia, where she is expected to meet President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Speaking to de Freitas, she made reference to the first Japanese immigrants arriving in the city of Santos in 1908 after a gruesome voyage. On the first day of her trip, she visited the memorial to pioneer Japanese immigrants at Sao Paulo's Ibirapuera Park. 'I felt that the immigrants made an enormous effort to adapt to Brazil, and still today are very active in different areas. 'The fact that Brazil sheltered the Japanese community deepened the connections between the countries,' the princess said. Today, Brazil has the largest population of people of Japanese descent in the world, estimated at about 2.7 million. About half of those live in Sao Paulo state, official figures show. — AP
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Milei meets Pope Leo, confirms visit to Argentina
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina's President Javier Milei held his first official audience with Pope Leo at the Vatican on Saturday where he confirmed that the pontiff will visit the South American country, according to the presidential spokesman. No further details of the planned visit were disclosed on Saturday. Milei had a tense relationship with Pope Francis, the late Argentine pope who never returned to his native country during his 12-year papacy, potentially signaling the start of a new diplomatic chapter. 'The Pope confirmed to the President during our recent meeting that he will visit Argentina,' Manuel Adorni, the presidential spokesperson wrote via social media. The papal visit could take place as soon as next year, according to Argentina's daily newspaper La Nación, as part of a tour that would include stops in Uruguay and Peru, where Leo, the first U.S. pope, resided for nearly 20 years. Milei, a libertarian and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was not present at the inauguration ceremony of the new head of the Catholic Church due to local legislative elections he was required to attend. Discussions between the two parties on Saturday were described as 'cordial' and addressed issues of 'common interest such as socioeconomic progress, the fight against poverty, and the commitment to social cohesion, in addition to addressing ongoing conflicts,' the Vatican later said in a statement. Milei met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday in Rome as part of his visit, where an agreement between Italian energy group Eni and Argentina's state-owned energy firm YPF was signed.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Milei meets Pope Leo, confirms visit to Argentina
Pope Leo XIV meets with Argentina's President Javier Milei at the Vatican, June 7, 2025. Vatican Media/Mario Tomassetti/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina's President Javier Milei held his first official audience with Pope Leo at the Vatican on Saturday where he confirmed that the pontiff will visit the South American country, according to the presidential spokesman. No further details of the planned visit were disclosed on Saturday. Milei had a tense relationship with Pope Francis, the late Argentine pope who never returned to his native country during his 12-year papacy, potentially signaling the start of a new diplomatic chapter. "The Pope confirmed to the President during our recent meeting that he will visit Argentina," Manuel Adorni, the presidential spokesperson wrote via social media. The papal visit could take place as soon as next year, according to Argentina's daily newspaper La Nación, as part of a tour that would include stops in Uruguay and Peru, where Leo, the first U.S. pope,resided for nearly 20 years. Milei, a libertarian and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was not present at the inauguration ceremony of the new head of the Catholic Church due to local legislative elections he was required to attend. Discussions between the two parties on Saturday were described as "cordial" and addressed issues of "common interest such as socioeconomic progress, the fight against poverty, and the commitment to social cohesion, in addition to addressing ongoing conflicts," the Vatican later said in a statement. Milei met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday in Rome as part of his visit, where an agreement between Italian energy group Eni and Argentina's state-owned energy firm YPF was signed. (Reporting by Lucila Sigal in Buenos Aires. Writing by Lucinda Elliott. Editing by Louise Heavens)
