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| Surinam's President Ronald Venetiaan |
Surinam votes on the basis of districts. With more than half the population living in and around the capital, Paramaribo, this area accounts for most of the seats in the National Assembly. A two-thirds majority in the assembly is needed to elect the president, who then has the task of forming a new government.
Surinam has some 500,000 inhabitants, but no less than ten political parties and combinations or groupings are contesting the 51 seats in the National Assembly. Most parties are based on the country's ethnic groups. Surinam is a truly multi-cultural nation and, in order to survive, the country's politicians do their best to retain the support of their own communities. There are Hindustani, Javanese and Creole parties, and even one for the Maroon people. In the case of the political groupings, it's important that they have the greatest possible ethnic 'spread' within their ranks.
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| Surinam's former military leader and now presidential candidate Desi Bouterse of the NDP. One of his campaign slogans is 'Des for Pres'. |
Economic improvements
'The Front', as it is known, is relying on the economic stability realised in the last five years as its main achievement while in government. The Surinamese dollar has managed to retain much of its value and interest rates have been dropping. This success has become the party mantra and been repeated time and time again at campaign meetings and in election advertising.
Needless to say, the opposition has been doing its utmost to tear apart the government's most cherished success by pointing to the poverty, crime, corruption, the standard of education and of health care and the housing situation.
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It's on these points that the National Democratic Party of Desi Bouterse appears to be scoring well. At his party's mass meetings, a remarkable number of young voters have been falling under the spell of the charismatic party leader, who has also managed to turn the NDP into a multi-ethnic organisation.
Mr Bouterse has less of a good image in the former colonial power, where he has been convicted in his absence of drug smuggling. Then there's his role in the infamous 'December Murders', the 'execution' of 15 fellow countrymen on 18 December 1982, when he was military leader of Surinam and held the reins of power. However, many of these young voters seem unconcerned by his past record, and the 'December Murders' are an event which they either did not experience or were not aware of.
No case to answer
The New Front government has also failed in its attempts to get Desi Bouterse prosecuted and convicted for his human rights violations. For his own fanatic supporters this is further evidence that there is simply no case for him to answer. At the same time, the New Front has been using the accusations against him as a powerful campaign tool.
Former president Jules Wijdenbosch, leader of the combined political grouping The People's Alliance for Progress (VVV), has come in for similar treatment. He's been criticised for being extravagant with money and accused of embezzling government funds in the period from 1996 to 2000. However, he has never had formal charges brought against him.
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The main contenders
The election battle on 25 May will be fought between the three large groupings: the New Front, the NDP and the VVV. The New Front is expected to emerge with the most seats, but it's uncertain whether it will gain a two-thirds majority so that a new president can be chosen straightaway.
In that event, the new president must be elected by the United People's Assembly, a body with 800 members representing all the district and regional councils which must be convened for this purpose. That could take several months to organise, during which time Surinam will formally be without a government.