PARAMARIBO, Suriname, May 25, CMC – Surinamese voters went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new 51-member National Assembly, a critical step in choosing the country’s next president and vice-president for a five-year term.
Fourteen parties are contesting the election, including President Chandrikapersad Santokhi’s centrist Progressive Reform Party (VHP), the leftist National Democratic Party (NDP) once led by the late Desi Bouterse, and the centre-left General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP) of current Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk.
Defence Minister Krishna Matheora, speaking after casting his ballot early Sunday, said it was “important” for the VHP to win to continue Suriname’s path to recovery.
“We have laid the foundations for economic stability and we need to build on that,” he told AFP.
President Santokhi is constitutionally eligible for a second term.
Polls show conflicting projections, with a Times of Suriname survey giving the NDP a leading 39.4 per cent of support, while an LC Media poll has the VHP ahead with 17 seats.
Just under 400,000 registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots across the country.
Provisional results are expected late Sunday. Once the new parliament is seated, lawmakers will choose Suriname’s next president and vice-president in the coming weeks.
CMC/ed/2025