Jennifer Geerlings-Simons Sworn In as Suriname’s First Female President
Jennifer Geerlings-Simons. X/ @ElUniversal
July 16, 2025 Hour: 11:56 am
Previously, she served as president of the National Assembly from 2010 to 2020.
On Wednesday, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons was sworn in as president of Suriname, marking a historic moment as she becomes the first woman to serve as head of state in the South American nation.
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The inauguration took place after the National Assembly elected her president on June 6, with exactly 34 votes — the minimum required for a first-round victory.
Geerlings-Simons, 71, is the leader of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and previously served as president of the National Assembly from 2010 to 2020, becoming the second woman to hold that position. Her running mate, Gregory Rusland of the Surinamese National Party (NPS), was also sworn in Wednesday as vice president. The NPS is part of the coalition that brought Geerlings-Simons to power.
Her path to the presidency cleared significantly when the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), led by outgoing President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, announced it would not field a candidate.
The text reads, “Vice President Delcy Rodríguez arrives in Suriname for the inauguration of Dr. Jennifer Geerlings. ‘We have arrived in Suriname to participate in the inauguration of Dr. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, as the first woman to assume the presidency of this sister country. We bring the greetings and congratulations of President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan people.’ Our country reaffirms its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Suriname and to working together for peace, unity, and the well-being of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
In the May 25 elections, the NDP won 18 seats, narrowly defeating the VHP, which secured 17. Since no party achieved an outright majority, political leaders began coalition talks that resulted in an alliance led by Geerlings-Simons in early June.
Other parties forming the coalition alongside the NDP and NPS include the General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP), Pertjajah Luhur (PL), Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP), and Alternative 2020 (A20). Together, they secured 34 of the 51 seats in the National Assembly.
The NDP was founded by the late President Desi Bouterse, who died in December 2024 while a fugitive. He had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 1982 massacre of political opponents.
Suriname, a former Dutch colony with a population of 600,000, has implemented drastic measures to reduce its multibillion-dollar public debt and now hopes that developing its oil reserves will bring economic prosperity.
Carla Barnett, secretary of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), congratulated Geerlings-Simons on her election. “We particularly recognize the historic significance of your election as the first female president of Suriname,” she said and invited Geerlings-Simons to collaborate on initiatives aimed at promoting the well-being and prosperity of both the Surinamese people and the Caribbean region.
Barnett added that the new president’s leadership will be “crucial” in addressing “the complex challenges facing the region, such as climate change, economic resilience and sustainable development.”
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
