PARAMARIBO – President Desi Bouterse Friday urged voters to await the final official results of Monday’s general elections and that the Independent Electoral Office (OKB) “will need to decide whether these parliamentarian and regional level elections are binding”.
“The process towards election of the functions of President and Vice-president still need to take place according to our rules and regulations,” he said in a statement, headlined “Suriname in election process: This is not a crisis; it is a process!”
Bouterse’s National Democratic Party (NDP), according to the preliminary results, has won 16 seats in the election.
Media reports say that the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), the largest party in the opposition, headed by former justice minister, Chandrikapersad (Chan) Santokhi, and the Algemene Bevrijdings- en Ontwikkelingspartij (ABOP) headed by former rebel leader Ronnie Brunswijk, have started talks on forming a coalition government.
The VHP and ABOP have, according to the preliminary results, won 28 seats between them and the reports said that the National Party of Suriname (NPS), headed by former president Ronald Venetiaan, with its four seats, could be involved in the discussions.
“We have to wait as a party for the official election results to be declared binding. The indicative result we have at the moment gives us the opportunity to negotiate. This is part of this phase of the election process,” said Alven Roosveld, one of the three designated spokespeople of the VHP.
But in the statement, The Office of the President noted that the government of Suriname is following “all rules and regulations in her constitution and election regulations for parliamentary elections”.
It said that the “free and secret elections” were held on Monday, for the positions in parliament and regional representation.
“It is important to know that Suriname is not governed by the Westminster system. Instead, Suriname has a pluriform multi-party system in which voters vote for the 51-member unicameral National Assembly, simultaneously and popularly elected for a five-year term. These 51 individual members of parliament will, when elected, vote for a President and Vice President,” the statement added.
It reminded citizens that the election process according the Constitution provides for the OKB to be the “only institute that can declare the parliamentary elections and elections for regional representatives”, “and that after close of elections, each election bureau will write a standardized official report, known as “processen-verbaal” (PV).
“The Election Bureaus of each district will send their official reports to the Central Head Election Bureau (CHS). The Central Head Election Bureau will send their final report based on the counting of official reports (PV’s) from all ballot boxes to OKB. The Independent Election Board (OKB) will review these reports and have their final advice on a declaration of binding elections within 10 days,” the statement said.
It said “currently, the official reports from 99.5 per cent of ballot boxes have been processed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and have been published online”.
“The Central Head Election Bureau is finalising the count of official reports from the ballot boxes in the last two districts, Paramaribo and Wanica. The CARICOM and OAS observers have reported it was a transparent process, they have not found any fraud, and suggested some minor advice for improvement,” the statement added.
But it noted that “multiple local parties have written letters of complaints to the OKB requesting a recount in various districts”.
“This independent body will need to review the preliminary report from CHS and review the letters of complaints to decide whether or not a recount is necessary,” the statement from the Office of the President noted.
It said if no recount is necessary, the OKB will declare the elections for members of parliament and regional representatives binding.
The statement said that upon the declaration of binding parliamentarian elections, an announcement will be made of the official meeting date for the National Assembly, where a temporary Speaker will be appointed by President Bouterse.
The statement said at the first meeting of the National Assembly the Speaker and deputy will be chosen with a normal majority and that the meeting will also organise the election of the President and the Vice President in the National Assembly.
“The President and Vice President can be chosen in parliament with at least 2/3 majority, meaning 34 votes. If nobody wins the election, a maximum of two voting rounds will be organized in Parliament,” the statement said, adding “if the President and the Vice-President are not chosen in Parliament within two election rounds, the United Public Meeting or “Verenigde Volksvergadering” (VVV), will be organized. “
“The election for the function of President and Vice-president in the United Public Meeting (VVV) takes place upon a normal majority vote. The VVV consists of the elected representatives of parliament, district and regional level; consisting of approximately 934 people,” the statement added. (CMC)
