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South America and South Atlantic Islands

Suriname

 Flag of Suriname

Last reviewed: 4 July 2008

Country information

HISTORY

Pre-1500

Arawak and Carib tribes lived in the region before Columbus sighted the coast in 1498.

1500-1815

Spain claimed the area in 1593, but Portuguese and Spanish explorers of the time gave the area little attention. The English established the first European settlement in 1651 and control passed between the English, French and Dutch until it finally became a Dutch colony in 1815.

1815-1990

An autonomous part of the Netherlands from 1954, Suriname became fully independent in 1975. Suriname was a working parliamentary democracy in the years immediately following independence. Henk Arron became the first Prime Minister and was re-elected in 1977. On 25 February 1980, 16 non-commissioned officers overthrew the elected government. The military-dominated government then suspended the constitution, dissolved the legislature, and formed a regime that ruled by decree. Although a civilian filled the post of president, a military man, Desi Bouterse, actually ruled the country. Throughout 1982, pressure grew for a return to civilian rule. In response, the military ordered drastic action, the authorities arrested and killed 15 prominent opposition leaders, including journalists, lawyers, and trade union leaders. Following the murders, the United States and the Netherlands suspended economic and military co-operation with the Bouterse regime, which increasingly began to follow an erratic but generally leftist political course. Economic decline rapidly set in after the suspension of economic aid from the Netherlands. The regime restricted the press and limited the rights of its citizens. Continuing economic decline brought pressure for change. The military eventually agreed to free elections in 1987, a new constitution and a civilian government.

1990-to date

On 24 December 1990, military officers forced the resignations of the civilian President and Vice President elected in 1987. The National Assembly hastily approved military-selected replacements on 29 December. The government held new elections on 25 May 1991. NPS candidate Runaldo Venetiaan was elected President, and the VHP's Jules Ajodhia became Vice President of the New Front Coalition government. The NDP won more National Assembly seats (16 of 51) than any other party in the May 1996 national elections and in September 1996, joined with the KTPI, dissenters from the VHP, and several smaller parties to elect NDP vice-chairman Jules Wijdenbosch president of a NDP-led coalition government. Divisions and subsequent reshuffling of coalition members in the fall of 1997 and early 1998 weakened the coalition's mandate and slowed legislative action.

In May 1999, after mass demonstrations protesting poor economic conditions, the government was forced to call early elections. The elections in May 2000 returned Runaldo Venetiaan and his coalition to the presidency. The NF ran its campaign on a platform to fix the faltering Surinamese economy. But while the Venetiaan administration has made progress in stabilising the economy, the government's popularity began to decline as the standard of living for most Surinamese showed little sign of improvement. The opposition NDP, led by Desi Bouterse gained some ground. At the 2005 elections the New Front coalition held on to power although its share of the vote fell and it failed to gain an overall majority. The NDP became the largest single party in parliament.

BBC News Country Timeline: Surinam

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Contacts

Suriname

Address:

Alexander Gogelweg 2
The Hague
The Netherlands

Telephone:

(00) (31) 703650844

Fax:

(00) 31 703617445

Email: ambassade.suriname@wxs.nl