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Constitution |
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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]
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.
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]
The legislative branch of government consists of a 51-member unicameral National Assembly, simultaneously and popularly elected for a 5-year term. [9]
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]
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Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
Progressive Reform Party | 108,378 | 39.45 | 20 | +11 | |
National Democratic Party | 65,862 | 23.97 | 16 | –10 | |
National Party of Suriname | 32,394 | 11.79 | 3 | +1 | |
General Liberation and Development Party [lower-alpha 1] | 24,956 | 9.08 | 8 | +3 | |
Pertjajah Luhur [lower-alpha 1] | 16,623 | 6.05 | 2 | –3 | |
Reform and Renewal Movement | 7,423 | 2.70 | 0 | New | |
Brotherhood and Unity in Politics | 6,835 | 2.49 | 2 | 0 | |
Alternative 2020 | 4,501 | 1.64 | 0 | New | |
Democracy and Development through Unity | 2,375 | 0.86 | 0 | –1 | |
Party for Law and Development –Amazon Party | 1,593 | 0.58 | 0 | 0 | |
Surinamese Labour Party | 922 | 0.34 | 0 | 0 | |
Progressive Workers' and Farmers' Union | 820 | 0.30 | 0 | –1 | |
STREI! | 700 | 0.25 | 0 | New | |
Democratic Alternative '91 | 659 | 0.24 | 0 | 0 | |
People's Party for Renewal and Democracy | 349 | 0.13 | 0 | 0 | |
Social Democratic Union | 254 | 0.09 | 0 | New | |
The New Wind | 70 | 0.03 | 0 | New | |
Total | 274,714 | 100.00 | 51 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 274,714 | 96.79 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 9,120 | 3.21 | |||
Total votes | 283,834 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 383,333 | 74.04 | |||
Source: Centraal Hoofdstembureau |
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]
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]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hugo Pos was a Surinamese judge, writer, and poet.
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.
Pamacca is not in the (old) brochure, and there is one more resort as of 2019.