Presidential Election: Who will lead Suriname out of the economic crisis?

Darius won't say who he wants, but he's determined to vote on May 25. And what determined his choice, as a father, is stability and good governance. “I work every day to provide my children with a stable life,” he explains to Dagblad Suriname . “But without a government that inspires trust—both here and abroad—the doors remain closed. No investment, no growth, no future.”

“Darius refers to the economic crisis that is hitting Suriname,” the newspaper explains. “To the military period, but also to the two Bouterse governments, the public resource management scandals and the devaluation of the Surinamese dollar.” This young South American state – “it will be barely fifty years this year since it gained independence from the Netherlands” – is already in its fourth economic crisis,explains De Groene Amsterdammer , which traces its origins.

“When Desi Bouterse was president, between 2010 and 2020, he made sure the population was better off, but he was living on credit,” explains the Dutch magazine. As a result, in just a few years, “public debt rose from 18% of gross domestic product to 120% .”

His successor, the current president, Chan Santokhi, “was forced to request a loan from the International Monetary Fund, which made its aid conditional on severe cost-cutting measures.” Santokhi “notably cut