PARAMARIBO (Reuters) -Suriname’s parliament backed Jennifer Simons as the South American country’s first woman president on Sunday, setting the doctor and former parliamentary speaker on course to helm a nation on the cusp of a predicted oil boom.
Surinamese lawmakers backed Simons as president six weeks after the ruling party and its top opposition nearly tied in the race for legislative seats, leading to a coalition deal to install Simons as president.
Simons’ opposition National Democratic Party won 18 seats and current President Chan Santokhi’s Progressive Reform Party won 17 seats in the May 25 parliamentary election. Smaller parties won the remaining 16 seats.
Suriname’s president is elected indirectly. Following the general election, members of the National Assembly vote for the president, and a candidate must secure a two-thirds majority to win the office.
“I come into this office to serve, and I will use all my knowledge, strength and insight to make our wealth available to all of our people,” Simons, 71, said in a brief speech after lawmakers approved her appointment with a round of applause.
Simons vowed to pay special attention to young people and those who have not yet had the best opportunities.
“I am very aware of the responsibility now placed on our shoulders, a responsibility compounded for me by the fact that I am the first woman to hold this office,” she added. “I do not need many words. My thanks and we will get to work.”
Incumbent President Chan Santokhi, a 66-year-old former police commissioner who stood for re-election, had faced criticism over a lack of protections for the poorer and more vulnerable sectors of society.
Santokhi congratulated Simons on her election and told lawmakers he took responsibility for his shortcomings and hoped he would be remembered for his commitment. He said he would continue to serve the country after the transition as a member of parliament.
A COMING BOOM
Suriname, a former Dutch colony independent since 1975, is expected to see a surge in revenues from the nation’s first big offshore energy development, an oil and gas project led by TotalEnergies.
The Gran Morgu project is set to begin production in 2028. Discovered reserves may allow Suriname to compete with neighboring Guyana, whose economy grew 43.6% last year, as a prominent producer.
However, campaigning featured little debate about what the next government, which will hold power until 2030, should do with the income.
Simons’ election was agreed in a six-party deal two days after the parliamentary contest, but was not made official until Sunday’s vote. Her inauguration is scheduled for July 16.
Suriname’s parliament backed Simons for the post by acclamation, alongside National Party of Suriname (NPS) leader Gregory Rusland as her vice president.
Simons served as parliamentary speaker for a decade until 2020. She was second in vote tallies behind Santokhi, winning more than 41,700 votes. She is the head of the NDP, founded by former President Desi Bouterse, who dominated Surinamese politics for decades but died a fugitive last year.
NDP founder Bouterse left office in 2020, the year after he was convicted in the 1982 murders of 15 government critics.
When the conviction was upheld in 2023, Bouterse went into hiding, dying at the age of 79 at an unknown location on Christmas Eve.
(Reporting by Ank Kuipers; Writing by Sarah Morland and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Will Dunham and Lisa Shumaker)
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