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Straits Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Suriname's ruling party, opposition nearly tied in parliamentary election
FILE PHOTO: Suriname's President and chairman of the Progressive Reform Party (VHP) Chan Santokhi addresses supporters before voters go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament, in Paramaribo, Suriname May 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ranu Abhelakh/File Photo 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 - 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 Suriname Herald. 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. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oil riches are on the horizon as Suriname chooses its next government
Voters in Suriname, which is on the cusp of a much anticipated oil boom, have begun to elect a new parliament, which will subsequently choose the next president of the smallest nation in South America. Sunday's elections have already been marked by fraud allegations and have seen little debate about what the next government, which will hold power until 2030, should do with income from the offshore oil and gas Gran Morgu project. It is to begin production in 2028. Experts said Suriname, a country beset by poverty and rampant inflation, is projected to make billions of dollars in the coming decade or two from recently discovered offshore crude deposits. The project, led by TotalEnergies, is Suriname's first major offshore effort. The former Dutch colony, independent since 1975, discovered reserves that may allow it to compete with neighbouring Guyana – whose economy grew 43.6 percent last year – as a prominent producer. 'It will be a huge amount of income for the country,' President Chan Santokhi told the AFP news agency this week. 'We are now able … to do more for our people, so that everyone can be part of the growth of the nation.' Santokhi is constitutionally eligible for a second term, but with no single party in a clear lead in the elections, pollsters are not predicting the outcome. The party with the most seats will lead Suriname's next government, likely through a coalition with smaller parties, but negotiations and the choosing of a new president are expected to take weeks. Fourteen parties are taking part in the elections, including Santokhi's centrist Progressive Reform Party and the leftist National Democratic Party of deceased former coup leader and elected President Desi Bouterse. Also in the running is the centre-left General Liberation and Development Party of Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, a former rebel who fought against Bouterse's government in the 1980s. Provisional results are expected by late Sunday. Suriname – a diverse country made up of descendants of people from India, Indonesia, China, the Netherlands, Indigenous groups and enslaved Africans – will mark the 50th anniversary of its independence from the Netherlands in November. Since independence, it has looked increasingly towards China as a political ally and trading partner and in 2019 became one of the first Latin American countries to join the Asian giant's Belt and Road infrastructure drive. United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a stopover in Suriname in March on a regional tour aimed at countering China's growing influence in the region. More than 90 percent of the country is covered in forest, and it is one of few in the world with a negative carbon footprint. Santokhi insisted this status is not in danger and Suriname can use its oil windfall 'for the transition towards the green energy which we need, also because we know the fossil energy is limited'. 'It will be gone after 40 years.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Suriname votes for new government to steer oil windfall
Voting began Sunday in Surinamese parliamentary elections that will determine who will harness giant oil wealth to carry out a rags-to-riches transformation of the smallest country in South America. The tiny nation -- the only one in the Americas with Dutch as its official language -- is battling high debt, rampant inflation and poverty affecting nearly one in five of its 600,000 inhabitants. But recent offshore crude discoveries suggest this may all be about to change. "It will be a huge amount of income for the country," incumbent President Chan Santokhi told AFP this week. "We are now able... to do more for our people so that everyone can be part of the growth of the nation." On Sunday, Surinamese began electing a new parliament of 51 members, who within weeks must choose a new president and vice-president for a five-year term. Santokhi is constitutionally eligible for a second term but, with no single party in a clear lead, pollsters are not picking any favorites. "We have laid the foundations for economic stability and we need to build on that," Defence Minister Krishna Matheora told AFP after voting as the polls opened early Sunday, arguing it was "important" for Santokhi's Progressive Reform Party (VHP) to win. Whoever does take the reins will have a grand opportunity to transform the country's fortunes. Experts say Suriname stands to make billions of dollars in the next decade or two from recently discovered offshore crude deposits. French group TotalEnergies announced last year a $10.5 billion project to exploit an oil field off Suriname's coast with an estimated capacity of producing 220,000 barrels per day. Production should start in 2028 and the country has created a "Royalties for Everyone" fund to put money from the expected windfall directly into the hands of citizens. - China alliance - Fourteen parties are taking part in Sunday's election, including Santokhi's centrist VHP and the leftist National Democratic Party (NDP) of deceased former coup leader and autocrat-turned-elected-president Desi Bouterse. Also in the running is the center-left General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP) of Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, a former guerrilla who rebelled against Bouterse's government in the 1980s. Provisional results are expected by late Sunday. Suriname, a diverse country made up of descendants of people from India, Indonesia, China, the Netherlands, Indigenous groups and African slaves, marks its 50th anniversary of independence from the Dutch throne this November. Since independence, it has looked increasingly towards China as a political ally and trading partner and, in 2019, became one of the first Latin American countries to join the Asian giant's Belt and Road infrastructure drive. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a stopover in Suriname in March on a Latin American tour aimed at countering China's growing influence in the region. More than 90 percent of the country is covered in forest and it is one of few in the world with a negative carbon footprint. Santokhi insists this status is not in danger and that Suriname can use its oil windfall "for the transition towards the green energy which we need, also because we know the fossil energy is limited." "It will be gone after 40 years." bur-st/pbt
France 24
25-05-2025
- Business
- France 24
Suriname votes for new government to steer oil windfall
The tiny nation -- the only one in the Americas with Dutch as its official language -- is battling high debt, rampant inflation and poverty affecting nearly one in five of its 600,000 inhabitants. But recent offshore crude discoveries suggest this may all be about to change. "It will be a huge amount of income for the country," incumbent President Chan Santokhi told AFP this week. "We are now able... to do more for our people so that everyone can be part of the growth of the nation." On Sunday, Surinamese began electing a new parliament of 51 members, who within weeks must choose a new president and vice-president for a five-year term. Santokhi is constitutionally eligible for a second term but, with no single party in a clear lead, pollsters are not picking any favorites. "We have laid the foundations for economic stability and we need to build on that," Defence Minister Krishna Matheora told AFP after voting as the polls opened early Sunday, arguing it was "important" for Santokhi's Progressive Reform Party (VHP) to win. Whoever does take the reins will have a grand opportunity to transform the country's fortunes. Experts say Suriname stands to make billions of dollars in the next decade or two from recently discovered offshore crude deposits. French group TotalEnergies announced last year a $10.5 billion project to exploit an oil field off Suriname's coast with an estimated capacity of producing 220,000 barrels per day. Production should start in 2028 and the country has created a "Royalties for Everyone" fund to put money from the expected windfall directly into the hands of citizens. China alliance Fourteen parties are taking part in Sunday's election, including Santokhi's centrist VHP and the leftist National Democratic Party (NDP) of deceased former coup leader and autocrat-turned-elected-president Desi Bouterse. Also in the running is the center-left General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP) of Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, a former guerrilla who rebelled against Bouterse's government in the 1980s. Provisional results are expected by late Sunday. Suriname, a diverse country made up of descendants of people from India, Indonesia, China, the Netherlands, Indigenous groups and African slaves, marks its 50th anniversary of independence from the Dutch throne this November. Since independence, it has looked increasingly towards China as a political ally and trading partner and, in 2019, became one of the first Latin American countries to join the Asian giant's Belt and Road infrastructure drive. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a stopover in Suriname in March on a Latin American tour aimed at countering China's growing influence in the region. More than 90 percent of the country is covered in forest and it is one of few in the world with a negative carbon footprint. Santokhi insists this status is not in danger and that Suriname can use its oil windfall "for the transition towards the green energy which we need, also because we know the fossil energy is limited." "It will be gone after 40 years." © 2025 AFP
Int'l Business Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Suriname Votes For New Government To Steer Oil Windfall
Voting began Sunday in Surinamese parliamentary elections that will determine who will harness giant oil wealth to carry out a rags-to-riches transformation of the smallest country in South America. The tiny nation -- the only one in the Americas with Dutch as its official language -- is battling high debt, rampant inflation and poverty affecting nearly one in five of its 600,000 inhabitants. But recent offshore crude discoveries suggest this may all be about to change. "It will be a huge amount of income for the country," incumbent President Chan Santokhi told AFP this week. "We are now able... to do more for our people so that everyone can be part of the growth of the nation." On Sunday, Surinamese began electing a new parliament of 51 members, who within weeks must choose a new president and vice-president for a five-year term. Santokhi is constitutionally eligible for a second term but, with no single party in a clear lead, pollsters are not picking any favorites. "We have laid the foundations for economic stability and we need to build on that," Defence Minister Krishna Matheora told AFP after voting as the polls opened early Sunday, arguing it was "important" for Santokhi's Progressive Reform Party (VHP) to win. Whoever does take the reins will have a grand opportunity to transform the country's fortunes. Experts say Suriname stands to make billions of dollars in the next decade or two from recently discovered offshore crude deposits. French group TotalEnergies announced last year a $10.5 billion project to exploit an oil field off Suriname's coast with an estimated capacity of producing 220,000 barrels per day. Production should start in 2028 and the country has created a "Royalties for Everyone" fund to put money from the expected windfall directly into the hands of citizens. Fourteen parties are taking part in Sunday's election, including Santokhi's centrist VHP and the leftist National Democratic Party (NDP) of deceased former coup leader and autocrat-turned-elected-president Desi Bouterse. Also in the running is the center-left General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP) of Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, a former guerrilla who rebelled against Bouterse's government in the 1980s. Provisional results are expected by late Sunday. Suriname, a diverse country made up of descendants of people from India, Indonesia, China, the Netherlands, Indigenous groups and African slaves, marks its 50th anniversary of independence from the Dutch throne this November. Since independence, it has looked increasingly towards China as a political ally and trading partner and, in 2019, became one of the first Latin American countries to join the Asian giant's Belt and Road infrastructure drive. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a stopover in Suriname in March on a Latin American tour aimed at countering China's growing influence in the region. More than 90 percent of the country is covered in forest and it is one of few in the world with a negative carbon footprint. Santokhi insists this status is not in danger and that Suriname can use its oil windfall "for the transition towards the green energy which we need, also because we know the fossil energy is limited." "It will be gone after 40 years." President Chan Santokhi says there will be 'a huge amount of income for the country' AFP People queue before voting at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Paramaribo on May 25, 2025 AFP
