Vice President of Suriname

Vice President of the Republic of Suriname
Vicepresident van de Republiek Suriname
Incumbent Gregory Rusland since 16 July 2025
Style	His Excellency
Appointer	National Assembly
Term length	Five years, renewable indefinitely
Precursor	Prime Minister
Inaugural holder	Henck Arron
Formation	25 January 1988;37 years ago (1988-01-25)
Deputy	Deputy Vice President (1988–1990)
Salary	116,870 USD annually [1]
Website	Cabinet of the Vice-President

The vice president of Suriname (Dutch : Vicepresident van de Republiek Suriname) is the second-highest political position in Suriname, after the president. The president and the vice president are elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms.

The position of vice president was created in the Constitution of 1987, when the position of prime minister of Suriname was abolished. The vice president is charged with the day-to-day management of the Council of Ministers ^[2] and is responsible to the President.

The current vice president is Gregory Rusland. He is affiliated with the National Party of Suriname (NPS). Rusland was elected on 6 July 2025 as vice president by acclamation, ^[3] and inaugurated on 16 July on the Onafhankelijkheidsplein in Paramaribo in a ceremony. ^[4]

Powers and duties

The powers of the president are exercised by the vice president:

1. In case the president is declared unfit to exercise his powers;
2. In case the president has laid down the exercise of his powers temporarily;
3. As long as there is no president or if he is absent;
4. If, in the case described in article 140, prosecution against the President has been initiated.

List of vice presidents

^[5]

Political parties

   Party for National Unity and Solidarity (KTPI)

   National Party of Suriname (NPS)

   National Democratic Party (NDP)

   Progressive Reform Party (VHP)

   Basic Party for Renewal and Democracy (BVD)

   General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP)

Vice President of Suriname (1988–present)

Vice President			Term of office			Political party	President
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Henck Arron (1936–2000)	25 January 1988	24 December 1990 [a]	2 years, 333 days	NPS	Ramsewak Shankar (VHP)
2		Jules Wijdenbosch (1941–2025)	7 January 1991	16 September 1991	252 days	NDP	Johan Kraag (NPS)
3		Jules Ajodhia (1945–2024)	16 September 1991	15 September 1996	4 years, 365 days	VHP	Ronald Venetiaan (NPS)
4		Pretaap Radhakishun (1934–2001)	15 September 1996	12 August 2000	3 years, 332 days	BVD	Jules Wijdenbosch (NDP)
(3)		Jules Ajodhia (1945–2024)	12 August 2000	12 August 2005	5 years	VHP	Ronald Venetiaan (NPS)
5		Ramdien Sardjoe (born 1935)	12 August 2005	12 August 2010	5 years	VHP
6		Robert Ameerali (born 1961)	12 August 2010	12 August 2015	5 years	ABOP	Dési Bouterse (NDP)
7		Ashwin Adhin (born 1980)	12 August 2015	16 July 2020	4 years, 339 days	NDP
8		Ronnie Brunswijk (born 1961)	16 July 2020	16 July 2025	5 years	ABOP	Chan Santokhi (VHP)
9		Gregory Rusland (born 1959)	16 July 2025	Incumbent	11 days (as of 27 July 2025)	NPS	Jennifer Geerlings-Simons (NDP)

Deputy Vice President of Suriname (1988–1990)

Deputy Vice President			Term of office			Political party	Vice President
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Willy Soemita (1936–2022) [7]	25 January 1988	24 December 1990 [b]	2 years, 333 days	KTPI	Arron (NPS)

Timeline

See also

• Politics of Suriname
• List of colonial governors of Suriname
• President of Suriname
• First Lady of Suriname
• List of prime ministers of Suriname
• List of deputy prime ministers of Suriname

Notes

1. Deposed in the Telephone Coup. ^[6]
2. Deposed in the Telephone Coup. ^[8]

References

1. "Starnieuws - Salaris alle ministers is ruim SRD 15.000 netto". www.starnieuws.com.
2. Constitution of Suriname, 1987
3. "Suriname's parliament elects the country's first female president amid economic turmoil". AP News. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
4. "Buitengewone openbare vergadering gestart". Time of Suriname (in Dutch). Retrieved 16 July 2025.
5. "Kabinet van de Vicepresident - Historie". www.gov.sr. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018.
6. Howard W. French (27 December 1990). "Suriname Coup Leaders Had Power Already". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
7. "Politiebond steunt vredesakkoord Suriname". Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). 2 August 1989. p. 16.
8. Howard W. French (27 December 1990). "Suriname Coup Leaders Had Power Already". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 December 2020.