Suriname elects first female president amid economic uncertainty

Jennifer Geerlings-Simons to pb the impoverished Latin American state done situation earlier lipid wealthiness arrives.

Suriname has elected Jennifer Geerlings-Simons arsenic its archetypal pistillate president, with parliament backing the 71-year-old doc and lawmaker to pb the crisis-hit South American nation.

Her predetermination came aft a conjugation woody was struck successful the National Assembly, which voted by a two-thirds bulk connected Sunday.

The determination followed inconclusive May polls and mounting unit to regenerate outgoing President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, whose tenure was marred by corruption scandals and harsh austerity.

Geerlings-Simons, person of the National Democratic Party, ran unopposed and volition instrumentality bureau connected July 16.

“I americium alert that the dense task I person taken connected is further aggravated by the information that I americium the archetypal pistillate to service the state successful this position,” she said aft her confirmation.

She volition beryllium joined by moving mate Gregory Rusland, arsenic the brace inherit a state struggling nether the value of economical hardship, reduced subsidies, and wide frustration. While Santokhi’s authorities managed to restructure indebtedness and reconstruct macroeconomic stableness with IMF backing, it besides triggered wide protests implicit heavy cuts.

Jennifer Geerlings-Simons (C) greets parliamentarians aft the National Assembly predetermination successful Paramaribo connected July 6, 2025 [Ranu Abhelakh/AFP]

With Suriname expected to statesman producing offshore lipid successful 2028, Geerlings-Simons has promised to absorption connected stabilising authorities finances. She has antecedently pledged to boost revenues by tightening taxation collection, including from small-scale golden miners.

Economists pass she faces a rocky roadworthy ahead. Winston Ramautarsingh, erstwhile caput of the nationalist economists’ association, said Suriname indispensable repay astir $400m annually successful indebtedness servicing.

“Suriname does not person that money,” helium said. “The erstwhile authorities rescheduled the debts, but that was lone a postponement.”

Geerlings-Simons volition present beryllium tasked with steering the Dutch-speaking state of 646,000 radical done a fragile period, balancing nationalist discontent with the committedness of aboriginal lipid wealth.

As Suriname prepares to people 50 years since gaining independency from the Netherlands this November, the tiny South American state is pinning its hopes connected a caller epoch driven by lipid wealthiness and deepening ties with China.

In 2019, it joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative, becoming 1 of the archetypal Latin American states to motion connected to the immense infrastructure project.

Suriname is 1 of the continent’s poorest nations, contempt its affluent taste tapestry that includes descendants of Africans, Indigenous groups, Indians, Indonesians, Chinese, and Dutch settlers.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies