Bouterse leads polls ahead of Suriname elections

May 25, 2010 News

By Neil Marks in Paramaribo
Surinamese go to the polls to elect a new parliament today in a tight general election that could see former military dictator Desi Bouterse become president.
This could be the end of the road for Ronald Venetiaan, whose presidency has been rocked by criticisms, including one that his land policy has favoured members of his own party and that strict controls over indigenous lands in the granting of mining licenses to foreigners were not applied.

Desi Bouterse during an election rally that has seen him emerge as a front-runner in today’s Surinamese elections

Bouterse’s strength lies in the Mega-Combination alliance he has built around his own National Democratic Party (NDP) and local opinion polls show he is well ahead. The evidence that Bouterse is leading the race for the 51-seat legislature was seen outside his party’s headquarters in the historical capital Friday when supporters flooded the streets.
“I have never seen anything like it,” said Ivan Cairo, a journalist who has covered three elections in the past and who now works with the Dutch De Ware Tidj newspaper.
Bouterse has been recognised as the de facto leader of Suriname in the eight years after a 1980 military coup ousted the government which was formed just after the Dutch Colony gained independence.
Bouterse’s name reads with heinous crimes, including murder in the post-independence period, and while he is free in Suriname, he has been charged, in absentia, by the Netherlands with drug trafficking.
Despite this record, Cairo, quoted earlier, said he believes Surinamese have relived Bouterse of that baggage. These elections are built around coalitions. Like Bouterse, President Ronald Venetiaan has also merged his party with others, forming the New Front Party.
In total, nine parties will contest the elections. In the event of there not being a majority win by any of the parties, the man who becomes president could very well lie in the trick of who can whip up coalition support the fastest to form a new government.
More than 423,000 persons are registered to vote today and the Democracy Unit at the University of Suriname foresees a large voter turnout.
“There is enthusiasm to vote and it is clear who the front runners are,” said leading political analyst Hans Breevld, head of the Democracy Unit.
An estimated 30,000 persons who are registered cannot vote because the elections commission has been unable to reach them with a mandatory card for voting.
Breevld said the relatively new DOE Party could be a big surprise. Building its campaign around Democracy, Development and Unity, the newcomer has attracted support because of its appeal for a change and to win over Surinamese who are fed up with the politics of Bouterse, Venetiaan, and Jules Wijdenbosch, another former president who also wants another go at the presidency.
In total, nine parties will contest these elections. In the event of there not being a majority win by any of the parties, the man who becomes president could very well lie in the trick of who can whip up coalition support the fastest to form a new government. Apart from the 51-parliamentary seats, Surinamese are also voting in 900 municipal positions.
However, it could take days before a clear winner is announced, as the elections commission faces a logistical nightmare in getting the results in from interior locations.
Because of heavy rainfall, interior airstrips are down. This means that the results will have to get to the capital by boat.