President of Suriname
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<timeline> ImageSize = width:199 height:350 PlotArea = left:50 right:125 bottom:10 top:10 AlignBars = early DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1975 till:2005 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1975 Define $dx = 25 # shift text to right side of bar PlotData= bar:Leaders color:green width:15 mark:(line,yellow) align:left fontsize:S from:start till:1980 shift:($dx,-4) text:Johan Ferrier from:1980 till:1982 shift:($dx,-3) text:Henck Chin A Sen from:1982 till:1988 shift:($dx,-3) text:Ramdat Misier from:1988 till:1990 shift:($dx,-4) text:Ramsewak Shankar from:1990 till:1991 shift:($dx,-4) fontsize:XS text:Johan Kraag from:1991 till:1996 shift:($dx,-3) text:Ronald Venetiaan from:1996 till:2000 shift:($dx,-4) text:Jules Wijdenbosch from:2000 till:end shift:($dx,-3) text:Ronald Venetiaan </timeline> |
| Presidents of Suriname |
The President of the Republic of Suriname (Dutch: President van de Republiek Suriname) is, in accordance with the Constitution of 1987, the head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of Suriname. The President and a Vice President are elected by the National Assembly to a five-year mandate and are accountable to the Assembly. A candidate must be a Surinamese national (resident in the country for at least six years) who is at least 30 years of age. During his time in office, he must forfeit any additional posts in politics or business.
Ronald_Venetiaan_Feb05.jpeg
The President is vested with extensive functional powers. The President names and dismisses ministers, signs bills, and names and dismisses diplomatic staff. He declares war and states of emergency with the ratification of the National Assembly. He concludes foreign treaties and agreements, again with the assent of the Assembly. He also exercises ceremonial duties such as conferring awards, receiving foreign diplomats, and granting pardons.
The office of President was created upon independence from the Netherlands in 1975. Until 1987, the role was largely ceremonial. The first officeholder was Dr. Johan Ferrier, a schoolteacher and veteran politician who had served as the colonial governor-general since 1968. He was forced out of office in August 1980, several months after a coup d'état by army commander Lt. Col. Dési Bouterse transferred most political authority to the military leadership. From then until 1991, the titular Presidents were essentially army-installed puppets of Lt. Col. Bouterse, who ruled as a dictator with few practical checks on his power.
The current President is H.E. Dr. Ronald Venetiaan, a mathematician and member of the Afro-Surinamese and Roman Catholic communities. He is affiliated with the National Party of Suriname, a centrist party. Venetiaan was elected to a record third term (second consecutive) in 2005.
Presidents of Suriname, 1975-present
| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dr. Johan Henri Eliza Ferrier | 25 November 1975 | 13 August 1980 | non-partisan |
| 2. | Dr. Hendrick Rudolf Chin A Sen | 15 August 1980 | 4 February 1982 | PNR |
| 3. | Lachmipersad Frederick Ramdat Misier (acting) | 8 February 1982 | 25 January 1988 | non-partisan |
| 4. | Ramsewak Shankar | 25 January 1988 | 24 December 1990 | VHP |
| 5. | Johannes Samuel Petrus Kraag | 29 December 1990 | 16 September 1991 | NPS |
| 6. | Dr. Runaldo Ronald Venetiaan | 16 September 1991 | 15 September 1996 | NPS |
| 7. | Dr. Jules Albert Wijdenbosch | 15 September 1996 | 12 August 2000 | NDP |
| 8. | Dr. Runaldo Ronald Venetiaan | 12 August 2000 | incumbent | NPS |
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Parties: National Democratic Party (NDP), Nationalist Republican Party (PNR), National Party of Suriname (NPS), Progressive Reform Party (VHP) | ||||
External links
- Kabinet van de President van de Republiek Suriname (http://www.kabinet.sr.org)
- Constitution of the Republic of Suriname, 1987 (http://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/Constitutions/Suriname/english.html)de:Liste der Präsidenten von Suriname