PARAMARIBO, Suriname – Suriname moved closer towards a new coalition government taking up office even as voters in the country await the official results of the May 25 general election.
Presidential candidate-elect, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons (center) join the chairmen of the six parties for a toast after signing the agreement on Tuesday night.Several opposition parties led by the main opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) signed a letter of intent to form the new coalition government. Also signing the agreement is Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk, whose General Liberation and Development Party,(ABOP) had been a partner in the current coalition government headed by President Chandrikapersad Santokhi.
Brunswijk told the signing ceremony on Tuesday night that his party had decided to join the new coalition after “a long and good conversation” with the NDP’s chair, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, who has been nominated as the presidential candidate to replace Santokhi.
Santokhi has already thanked his campaign team for the hard work they have done, saying “although the outcome is not the desired result, we have fought with passion and determination to help Suriname move forward”.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, the chairman of the outgoing Progressive Reform Party (VHP), called on his party members to prepare for a future in which the party can once again make a difference.
“Together we will continue to build a stronger Suriname,” he added.
The declaration of intent to form the coalition has been signed by the NDP, the National Party of Suriname (NPS), Pertjajah Luhur (PL), Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP) and Alternative 2020 (A20). According to the unofficial results, these parties have won 34 of the 51 seats at stake in the National Assembly.
The parties have set out the main priorities which they said will be further elaborated in a coalition agreement.
But they have indicated during the signing ceremony that good governance, transparency and accountability in all government functions are the first priorities with the declaration of intent stating that corruption in all its forms must be identified and combated. It states that concrete measures will be taken to prevent and tackle corruption.
The new coalition intends to strengthen the institutional framework. The capacity of public institutions must be supported, while the independence of the judiciary, impartiality and enforcement of the law must be guaranteed.
The coalition aims to align economic and social policy programmes and develop strategies that take into account both the short-term and long-term goals of the economy and society. The parties have promised that these priority objectives will soon be elaborated in a coalition agreement.
Geerlings-Simons says that there is now an opportunity to do things differently in Suriname over the next five years.
“There has not yet been any discussion about ministerial positions, but about how the governance of the country can be improved. On that basis we have reached an agreement and decided to sign the letter of intent,” said Geerlings-Simons at the Marriott hotel, where the agreement was signed.
NPS chairman, Gregory Rusland, says that the government must take a completely new course.
“We must not return to a period in which agreements were repeatedly not fulfilled. We must return to a phase in which the people regain confidence in politics and in the government of Suriname. If the people ask ‘un tai un bere’ (let us join forces), then we as leaders will have to set a good example – and actually do so. Sobriety has been agreed, and if money is available, every citizen must be able to benefit from it.”
Rusland said that the NPS will fully commit itself to reliable, responsible and transparent governance, in which there is no room for corruption.
Chairman of A20, Steven Reyme said that the leadership of the new coalition must be subservient. That is a requirement, not only for the leaders, but also for the future of the country, while Paul Somohardjo, the chair of PL, said that his party had the courage to participate in this coalition.
He said as far as he is concerned Suriname has won.
BEP chairman Ronny Asabina says he hopes that this coalition will actually translate into a different form of political governance – one that has rarely been seen in Suriname, transparent, honest and led by leaders who sincerely mean business for the people.
As the country awaits the official results, electoral officials say approximately 40 polling stations still have to be processed on the dashboard of the Ministry of the Interior. The turnout of 27 polling stations also has to be entered. According to estimates, this amounts to approximately 20,000 votes.
Chairman of the IT Elections Committee, Previen Ramadhin, told a news conference that the results could still change and that recounts have been requested for several polling stations in various districts.
Ramadhin noted that the unofficial count has proven its worth, since coalition formation is already taking place on the basis of it.
The intention is that the reports of the missing polling stations will still be entered into the system. After that, the dashboard will not be updated any further. It is the Central Polling Station that ultimately determines the official results of the elections and the Independent Electoral Office will then declare this result binding or not.
The chairman of the main polling station in Wanica, Bholanath Narain, said that no ballot boxes with ballot papers were taken home by polling station officials.
“That would be against the law. All ballot boxes were handed in at the main polling station at the district commissioner’s office. “Moreover, in that case the police would also have cooperated in violating the law.”
In Wanica, 10 polling stations will be recounted up to and including Friday. The counting will continue on Saturday.
However, according to Narain, many mistakes were made when filling out the official reports (pv’s). Many figures and data are incorrect, and some documents lack signatures.
On Thursday, three polling stations will be recounted.
Just under 400,000 registered voters were eligible to cast their ballots across the country and once the new parliament is seated, lawmakers will choose Suriname’s next president and vice-president in the coming weeks.
