PARAMARIBO, (Reuters) – A member of former military dictator Desi Bouterse’s party was elected to head Suriname’s parliament yesterday in a move that supporters of the former strongman said brings him a step closer to the presidency.
Despite jubilation among Bouterse backers in his Mega Combination coalition, the election of Jennifer Geerlings-Simons as chairwoman of the country’s National Assembly does not guarantee the 64-year-old will return to power.
Suriname, sandwiched between Guyana and French Guiana on the northern shoulder of South America, won its independence in 1975 and is now a gold and bauxite miner with a nascent petroleum industry.
Bouterse faces trial in Suriname for the execution of 15 opponents during his 1982 military rule. He was convicted in the Netherlands in 1999 of drug-trafficking.
His coalition won the most seats — 23 — in a May general election but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to name a new president via parliament.
Selecting leaders in the culturally diverse former Dutch colony is typically a drawn-out process. Bouterse may have to strike deals with former enemies to take office.
President Ronald Venetiaan’s New Front for Democracy party won 14 seats in the elections on May 25, with a partner of his current government coming third and the party of a former guerrilla who fought against Bouterse coming fourth.
In the absence of the necessary majority, parties must try to form coalitions.
If no one is able to gather enough seats, the decision shifts to a wider assembly that includes local officials, where a simple majority is needed. Bouterse’s coalition has a majority in that body, called the United People’s Assembly.
“This indicates, without any doubt, in which direction we are going. I don’t know if we will elect the president in the National Assembly, but in the United People’s Assembly, I can assure you Bouterse will become president,” said Bouterse confidant Ramon Abrahams, a prominent lawmaker.
Bouterse’s trial over the killings of the opposition leaders started in 2007, but he has refused to show up in court at times. The trial is being continued without him.
A Dutch court convicted him of drug trafficking in absentia, preventing him from traveling to countries with an extradition treaty with the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, reports received by Stabroek News say Geerlings-Simons defeated Paul Somohardjo of the People’s Alliance by 26 votes to 24, as the latter was vying for a second term as Speaker. Meanwhile Ruth Wijdenbosch, from the New Front Alliance, was elected as the Deputy Speaker. This is the first time in the country’s history that two women have served simultaneously in the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Reports out of Suriname suggest that Geerlings-Simons’ election as Speaker is somewhat of a surprise, since she was expected to be easily defeated by Somohardjo, who had the backing of the anti-MC bloc; consisting of the People’s Alliance, Ronnie Brunswijk’s A- Combination and the New Front Alliance (NFA) led by Ronald Venetiaan. This bloc controls 27 seats in the 51-member National Assembly compared to MC’s 23 seats and Carl Breeveld’s Democracy, Development and Unity party which secured the remaining seat. However, the 26-24 vote in favour of Geerlings-Simons indicates that some persons from these parties went against the agreement and voted for the MC candidate. Veneetiaan was not allowed to vote yesterday since he remains the President until a new one is elected.
Reports coming out of Suriname also said that following the vote, representatives from the People’s Alliance, New Front Alliance and A-Combination had been fighting among themselves, over who had broken the agreement.
The election of Geerlings-Simons as the House Speaker is seen as the clearing of a huge hurdle in Bouterse’s quest to become the next President. Reports coming out of Suriname yesterday said that the election of Geerlings-Simons means that the MC has an important say in when the vote for the President and Vice President is held. Observers also said that the election of Geerlings-Simons as Speaker may ultimately influence other parties to form a coalition with the MC. The MC is still short of the two thirds majority needed in the Parliament to elect a new President and vice President.
The Mega Combination and the A-Combination had agreed to form a coalition but this fell through last week. Prior to this partnership with the A-Combination, the Mega Combination had begun to engage Somohardjo and his party about a possible alliance but this too fell through.
If a new President and Vice-President are not elected after two rounds of voting in the National Assembly, the vote will be taken to the People’s Assembly. The People’s Assembly is a combination of the 51 Parliamentary representatives and the 868 regional and municipal representatives. The MC’s majority in the 919-seat People’s Assembly would be enough to allow it to elect a President and Vice-President. The Mega Combination had hoped to avoid going to the People’s Assembly since this is a lengthy process which is also costly.