Suriname Government

What is the capital of Suriname?

Country Name	Suriname
Full Country Name	Republic of Suriname
Local - Long	Republiek Suriname
Local - Short	Suriname
Former Name	Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana
Etymology- history of name	name may derive from the indigenous "Surinen" people who inhabited the area at the time of European contact
Government Type	presidential republic
Capital Name	Paramaribo
Capital - geographic coordinate	5 50 N, 55 10 W
Capital Time Difference	UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence	25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)
National Holiday	Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
Constitution	history: previous 1975; latest ratified 30 September 1987, effective 30 October 1987 amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the total membership; amended 1992

Suriname Capital City Map

Source: Google Maps

Suriname Government and Politics

Who is the president of Suriname?

Executive Branch:	chief of state: President Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020); Vice President Ronnie BRUNSWIJK (since 16 July 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI (since 16 July 2020); Vice President Ronnie BRUNSWIJK (since 16 July 2020) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by the National Assembly; president and vice president serve a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 13 July 2020 (next to be held in May 2025) election results: 2020: Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI elected president unopposed; National Assembly vote - NA
Citizenship Criteria:	citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Suriname dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Legal System:	civil law system influenced by Dutch civil law; note - a new criminal code was enacted in 2017
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch:	description: unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members directly elected in 10 multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote, using the D'Hondt method, to serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 25 May 2020 (next to be held in May 2025) election results: percent of vote by party - VHP 41.1%, NDP 29.4%, ABOP 17.6%, NPS 7.8%, other 3.9%; seats by party - VHP 20, NDP 16, ABOP 9, NPS 3, BEP 2, PL 2; composition as of February 2024 - men 35, women 16, percentage women 31.4%
Judicial Branch:	highest court(s): High Court of Justice of Suriname (consists of the court president, vice president, and 4 judges); note - appeals beyond the High Court are referred to the Caribbean Court of Justice; human rights violations can be appealed to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights with judgments issued by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights judge selection and term of office: court judges appointed by the national president in consultation with the National Assembly, the State Advisory Council, and the Order of Private Attorneys; judges serve for life subordinate courts: cantonal courts
Regions or States:	10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
Political Parties and Leaders:	Brotherhood and Unity in Politics or BEP [Ronnie ASABINA] Democratic Alternative '91 or DA91 [Angelique DEL CASTILHO] General Liberation and Development Party or ABOP [Ronnie BRUNSWIJK} National Democratic Party or NDP [Desire Delano BOUTERSE] National Party of Suriname or NPS [Gregory RUSLAND] Party for Democracy and Development in Unity or DOE [Steven ALFAISI] Party for National Unity and Solidarity or KTPI [Iwan GANGA] People's Alliance (Pertjajah Luhur) or PL [Paul SOMOHARDJO] Progressive Workers' and Farmers' Union or PALU [Jim HOK] Progressive Reform Party or VHP [Chandrikapersad SANTOKHI] Reform and Renewal Movement or HVB [Mike NOERSALIM] Surinamese Labor Party or SPA [Guno CASTELEN]
International Law Organization Participation:	accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International Organization Participation:	ACP, AOSIS, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, Petrocaribe, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic Representation in the US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Jan Marten Willem SCHALKWIJK (since 19 April 2022) chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 629-4302 FAX: [1] (202) 629-4769 email address and website: amb.vs@gov.sr https://surinameembassy.org/index.html consulate(s) general: Miami
Diplomatic Representation from US:	chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. FAUCHER (since 31 January 2023) embassy: 165 Kristalstraat, Paramaribo mailing address: 3390 Paramaribo Place, Washington DC 20521-3390 telephone: [597] 556-700 FAX: [597] 551-524 email address and website: caparamar@state.gov https://sr.usembassy.gov/

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