Politics of Suriname

Last updated

Politics of Suriname take place in a framework of a representative democratic assembly-independent republic, whereby the president of Suriname is the head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. The executive power is dependent on the Parliament in theory. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. [1] [2] The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. [3]

Contents

Executive branch

Presidential Palace of Suriname Wiki Loves Monuments 2022 Presidentieel Paleis in Suriname.jpg
Presidential Palace of Suriname

The executive branch is headed by the president, who is elected by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly or, failing that twice, by a majority of the People's Assembly for a 5-year term. If at least two-thirds of the National Assembly cannot agree to vote for one presidential candidate, a People's Assembly is formed from all National Assembly delegates and regional and municipal representatives who were elected by popular vote in the most recent national election. [4] The Vice President, normally elected at the same time as the president, is elected for a 5-year term, the same way as the president. [5] As head of government, the president appoints a cabinet of ministers who are led in their day-to-day activities by the Vice President. [6] There is no constitutional provision for removal or replacement of the president unless he resigns.

State Advisory Council of Suriname Officierswoning (nu Staatsraad).jpg
State Advisory Council of Suriname

A Staatsraad (State Advisory Council) with a maximum of 15 members, advises the president in the conduct of policy. All but four seats are allotted by proportional representation of all political parties represented in the National Assembly. [7] [8] The president chairs the council, and two seats are allotted to representatives of labor, and two are to employers' organizations. The Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president. [8]

Current formation

Legislative branch

National Assembly of Suriname. AssembleeSurinaam.jpg
National Assembly of Suriname.

The legislative branch of government consists of a 51-member unicameral National Assembly, simultaneously and popularly elected for a 5-year term. [9]

Political parties and elections

Suriname elects on national level a head of state the president and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college based on the parliament. The National Assembly (Nationale Assemblée) has 51 members, elected every five years by proportional representation per district. [9]

Suriname National Assembly 2020.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Progressive Reform Party 108,37839.4520+11
National Democratic Party 65,86223.9716–10
National Party of Suriname 32,39411.793+1
General Liberation and Development Party [lower-alpha 1] 24,9569.088+3
Pertjajah Luhur [lower-alpha 1] 16,6236.052–3
Reform and Renewal Movement 7,4232.700New
Brotherhood and Unity in Politics 6,8352.4920
Alternative 2020  [ nl ]4,5011.640New
Democracy and Development through Unity 2,3750.860–1
Party for Law and Development  [ nl ]Amazon Party  [ nl ]1,5930.5800
Surinamese Labour Party 9220.3400
Progressive Workers' and Farmers' Union 8200.300–1
STREI!  [ nl ]7000.250New
Democratic Alternative '91 6590.2400
People's Party for Renewal and Democracy  [ nl ]3490.1300
Social Democratic Union  [ nl ]2540.090New
The New Wind  [ nl ]700.030New
Total274,714100.00510
Valid votes274,71496.79
Invalid/blank votes9,1203.21
Total votes283,834100.00
Registered voters/turnout383,33374.04
Source: Centraal Hoofdstembureau

Judicial branch

Court of Justice of Suriname Hof van Justitie.jpg
Court of Justice of Suriname
Constitutional Court of Suriname Constitutioneel Hof (Suriname), 2022 -2 (cropped).jpg
Constitutional Court of Suriname

The judiciary is headed by the Court of Justice (Supreme Court). This court supervises the magistrate courts. Members are appointed for life by the president in consultation with the National Assembly, the State Advisory Council, and the National Order of Private Attorneys. [3]

A Constitutional Court was established in 2019. [10]

Administrative divisions

Map of districts in Suriname Suriname Map of Regions and Provinces.svg
Map of districts in Suriname

The country is divided into 10 administrative districts, each headed by a District Commissioner appointed by the president. The commissioner serves at the president's pleasure. The 10 districts (distrikten, singular - district) are ; Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica. [11]

The districts including Paramaribo are further subdivided into resorts. There are 63 resorts in Suriname. [11] [12]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 ABOP member Miquella Soemar-Huur was elected as lijstduwer on PL's list in Wanica, and is included in PL's seat total.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suriname</span> Country in South America

Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, sometimes considered part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. Situated slightly north of the equator, over 90% of its territory is covered by rainforests, the highest proportion of forest cover in the world. Suriname is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. It is the smallest country in South America by both population and territory, with around 612,985 inhabitants in an area of approximately 163,820 square kilometers. The capital and largest city is Paramaribo, which is home to roughly half the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramaribo</span> Capital and largest city of Suriname

Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people, almost half of Suriname's population. The historic inner city of Paramaribo has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Suriname</span> Head of state and head of government of Suriname

The president of the Republic of Suriname is, in accordance with the Constitution of 1987, the head of state and head of government of Suriname, and commander-in-chief of the Suriname National Army (SNL). The president also appoints a cabinet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commewijne District</span> District of Suriname

Commewijne is a district of Suriname, located on the right bank of the Suriname River. Commewijne's capital city is Nieuw Amsterdam. Tamanredjo is another major town, while Meerzorg is the most populated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sipaliwini District</span> District of Suriname

Sipaliwini is the largest district of Suriname, located in the south. Sipaliwini is the only district that does not have a regional capital, as it is directly administered by the national government in Paramaribo. Sipaliwini District includes disputed areas, with the southwestern region controlled and administered by Guyana, whereas the southeastern region is controlled by French Guiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanica District</span> District of Suriname

Wanica is a district of Suriname located in the north of the country. Wanica's capital city is Lelydorp, the second-largest city in Suriname. Wanica has a population of 118,222 and an area of 443 km2. Following neighbouring Paramaribo, Wanica is the second most populated and urbanised district of Suriname. Two-thirds of the country's population live in these two districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiriyó people</span> Cariban ethnic group of Brazil, Suriname and Guyana

The Tiriyó are an Amerindian ethnic group native to parts of northern Brazil, Suriname, and Guyana. In 2014, there were approximately 3,640 Tiriyó in the three countries. They live in several major villages and a number of minor villages in the border zone between Brazil and Suriname. They speak the Tiriyó language, a member of the Cariban language family and refer to themselves as tarëno, etymologically 'people from here' or 'local people'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lelydorp</span> Resort and town in Wanica District, Suriname

Lelydorp is the capital city of Wanica District, located in Suriname. With a population of 18,663 (2012), it is the second largest city in Suriname, after Paramaribo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Assembly (Suriname)</span> Parliament of Suriname

The National Assembly is the Parliament, representing the legislative branch of government in Suriname. It is a unicameral legislature. The assembly has been situated in the former park house at the Independence Square in Paramaribo, after a fire destroyed the old building of representation on 1 August 1996. A reconstruction of the old building was completed in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tapanahony</span> Resort in Sipaliwini District, Suriname

Tapanahoni is a resort in Suriname, located in the Sipaliwini District. Its population at the 2012 census was 13,808. Tapanahoni is a part of Sipaliwini which has no capital, but is directly governed from Paramaribo. Tapanahony is an enormous resort which encompasses a quarter of the country of Suriname. The most important town is Diitabiki which is the residence of the granman of the Ndyuka people since 1950, and the location of the oracle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pokigron</span> Place in Sipaliwini, Suriname

Pokigron is a town in Suriname located on the Upper Suriname River near the Brokopondo Reservoir. It is located in the Boven Suriname municipality (resort) in the Sipaliwini District. It has a population of approximately 400 people in 2018. Pokigron is located at the end of a paved road via Brownsweg to the Avobakaweg. Pokigron is often referred to as Atjoni which is the nearby quay, and literally the end of the road. Villages to the South of Pokigron have to be accessed by boat. The village is home to Maroons of the Saramaka tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resorts of Suriname</span> Second-level administrative division in Suriname

The ten districts of Suriname are divided into 63 resorts. Within the capital city of Paramaribo, a resort entails a neighbourhood; in other cases it is more akin to a municipality, consisting of a central place with a few settlements around it. The resorts in the Sipaliwini District are especially large, since the interior of Suriname is sparsely inhabited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Suriname</span> Overview of and topical guide to Suriname

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Suriname:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zuid, Suriname</span> Resort in Para District, Suriname

Zuid is a resort in Suriname, located in the Para District. Its population at the 2012 census was 6,113. The main ethnic groups are indigenous, Creoles, and mixed race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domburg, Suriname</span> Resort in Wanica District, Suriname

Domburg is a resort in the Wanica District of Suriname, located on the northern coast of South America. Its population at the 2012 census was 5,661.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saramacca Polder</span> Resort in Wanica District, Suriname

Saramacca Polder is a resort in Suriname, located in the Wanica District. Its population at the 2012 census was 10,217. And the majority of the population is of East Indian descent. The Saramacca Polder was created between 1894 and 1904. The main function was agriculture. The Commissaris Weytinghweg was built in 1906, and connects the polder with Paramaribo. Initially the area was mainly used for rice cultivation, but has become home to companies and suburban housing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndyuka people</span> Maroon ethnic group of Suriname and French Guiana

The Ndyuka people or Aukan people (Okanisi), are one of six Maroon peoples in the Republic of Suriname and one of the Maroon peoples in French Guiana. The Aukan or Ndyuka speak the Ndyuka language. They are subdivided into the Opu, who live upstream of the Tapanahony River in the Tapanahony resort of southeastern Suriname, and the Bilo, who live downstream of that river in Marowijne District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chan Santokhi</span> 9th President of Suriname

Chandrikapersad "Chan" Santokhi is a Surinamese politician and former police officer who is the 9th president of Suriname, since 2020. After winning the 2020 elections, Santokhi was the sole nominee for president of Suriname. On 13 July, Santokhi was elected president by acclamation in an uncontested election. He was inaugurated on 16 July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo Pos</span> Dutch-Surinamese poet

Hugo Pos was a Surinamese judge, writer, and poet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitutional Court of Suriname</span> Constitutional court for Suriname

The Constitutional Court is the constitutional court for the Republic of Suriname. Its establishment was already foreseen in both the constitution of Suriname of 1975 and the current constitution of 1987, but it took until 4 October 2019 for the National Assembly to enact a law providing for the establishment of a constitutional court. After some errors concerning the official proclamation of the establishment of the court were corrected, the members of the court were installed on 7 May 2020.

References

  1. "Het werk van DNA". National Assembly of Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  2. "Grondwet van de Republiek Suriname - Article 70". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Grondwet van de Republiek Suriname Article 133". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  4. "De Verenigde Volksvergadering". National Assembly (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  5. "Constitution of Suriname, 1987 with reforms of 1992. See Article 83".
  6. "Grondwet van de Republiek Suriname Article 113". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  7. "Staatsraad". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Wet Staatsraad". National Assembly of Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Grondwet van de Republiek Suriname Article 55". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  10. "WET van 4 oktober 2019, ter uitvoering van artikel 144 lid 4 van de Grondwet van de Republiek Suriname. (Wet Constitutioneel Hof)". dna.sr. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Brochure Bestuurlijke Indeling" (PDF) (in Dutch). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  12. "District Sipaliwini 1" (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 July 2020. Pamacca is not in the (old) brochure, and there is one more resort as of 2019.