note: widespread demonstrations during the summer of 1999 led to the calling of elections a year early
election results: Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN elected president; percent of legislative vote - 72.5; National Assembly elected the president - Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (New Front) 37 votes, Rashied DOEKHIE (NDP) 10 votes
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NF 33, MC 10, DNP 2000 3, DA '91 2, PVF 2, PALU 1
note: widespread demonstrations during the summer of 1999 led to the calling of elections a year early
Judicial branch: Court of Justice (justices are nominated for life)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Alternative '91 or DA '91
(a coalition of the Alternative Forum or AF and Party for
Brotherhood and Unity in Politics or BEP, formed in January 1991)
[S. RAMKHELAWAN]; Democratic National Platform 2000 or DNP 2000
(coalition of two parties, Democratic Party and Democrats of the
21st Century) [Jules WIJDENBOSCH]; Independent Progressive
Democratic Alternative or OPDA [Joginder RAMKHILAWAN]; Millennium
Combination or MC (a coalition of three parties, Democratic
Alternative, Party for National Unity and Solidarity, and National
Democratic Party) [leader NA]; National Democratic Party or NDP
[Desire BOUTERSE]; Naya Kadam or NK [leader NA]; Party for Renewal
and Democracy or BVD [Tjan GOBARDHAN]; Party of National Unity and
Solidarity or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA]; Pertjaja Luhur [Paul
SOMOHARDJO]; Progressive Workers' and Farm Laborers' Union or PALU
[Ir Iwan KROLIS]; The New Front or NF (a coalition of four parties
Suriname National Party or NPS, Progressive Reform Party or VHP,
Suriname Labor Party or SPA, and Pertjaja Luhur) [Ronald R.
VENETIAAN]; The Progressive Development Alliance (a combination of
three parties, Renewed Progressive Party or HPP, Party of the
Federation of Land Workers or PVF, and Suriname Progressive People's
Party or PSV) [Harry KISOENSINGH]
Political pressure groups and leaders: General Liberation and
Development Party or ABOP [Ronnie BRUNSWIJK]; Mandela Bushnegro
Liberation Movement [Leendert ADAMS]; Tucayana Amazonica [Alex
JUBITANA, Thomas SABAJO]; Union for Liberation and Democracy [Kofi
AFONGPONG]
International organization participation: ACP, Caricom, ECLAC, FAO,
G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS,
OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTrO