| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Nationale Assemblee / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
24 May 2015 |
| Purpose of elections |
President Desi Bouterse's National Democratic Party (NDP: see note 1) became the first single party to win a majority in the National Assembly. The NDP took 26 seats in the 51-member parliament, 8 more than the opposition coalition, Victory 7 (V7: see note 2). Five seats were won by the coalition A-Combination (see note 3), which supported Mr. Bouterse in the 2010 presidential elections. The President is elected indirectly by members of the National Assembly; a two-thirds majority (34 members) is required for such an election. On 14 July, the National Assembly re-elected Mr. Bouterse as the country's President.
These elections were the first to be held after amendments were made in April 2012 to the country's amnesty act. They effectively dropped charges against the President for alleged human rights abuses committed under his military rule in the 1980s, including an event in 1982 known as "the December murders" when 15 opposition figures were killed. V7's presidential candidate Mr. Santokhi is a former police commissioner who led the investigation into the murders. He pledged to repeal the 2012 amendments to the amnesty act if elected. During the election campaign, the NDP focused attention on their achievements while in government, citing improvements in infrastructure. V7 promised to restore the rule of law, strengthen democracy and tackle corruption.
Note 1:
During the previous elections in 2010, the NDP was part of the Mega Combination coalition which comprised the NDP, New Suriname (NU), the Progressive Workers' and Farmers' Union (PALU) and the Indonesian Peasants' Party (KTPI). In 2015, the NDP ran alone.
Note 2:
V7 initially comprised seven parties. Four of those had originally been part of the New Front for Democracy and Development (NF) during the 2010 elections: the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), the National Party of Suriname (NPS), the Surinamese Labour Party (SPA) and as of 2010, Democratic Alternative '91 (DA91). The three other parties who then joined to form V7 were: the Pertjajah Luhur (PL), the Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP) and the Indonesian Peasants' Party, which had by then been renamed the Party for National Unity and Solidarity (but was still known as KTPI). However, before the 2015 elections, the KTPI left V7 to join the A-Combination coalition. In 2015, V7 endorsed Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi (VHP) as its presidential candidate.
Note 3:
In 2015, the A-Combination coalition comprised the General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP), the KTPI and the Party for Democracy and Development (PDO). It endorsed former rebel leader Ronnie Brunswijk (ABOP) as its presidential candidate.
|
Date of previous elections: 25 May 2010
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 30 June 2015
Timing of election: Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections: May 2020
Number of seats at stake: 51 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 387 (259 men, 128 women)
Percentage of women candidates: 33.1%
Number of parties contesting the election: 25
Number of parties winning seats: 5
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 30 June 2015
Name of the new Speaker: Ms. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons (National Democratic Party, NDP)
|
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 24 May 2015 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
356'223
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| National Democratic Party (NDP) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| V7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| A Combination |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Progressive Workers' and Farmers' Union (PALU) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Party for Democracy and Development through Unity (DOE) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| National Democratic Party (NDP) |
26
|
|
|
|
|
| V7 |
18
|
|
|
|
|
| A Combination |
5
|
|
|
|
|
| Progressive Workers' and Farmers' Union (PALU) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
| Party for Democracy and Development through Unity (DOE) |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
38
13
25.49%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Source:
National Assembly (01.07.2015)
http://www.dna.sr/verkiezingen/uitslag-verkiezingen-2015/ |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
