Suriname Poised for Oil Wealth Injection as Voters Head to the Polls

Suriname goes to the polls on Sunday, May 25, to elect a new Parliament, then to vote for the President. Its population, ethnically diverse among descendants of Indians, Creoles, Javanais, African slaves and Dutch settlers, is experiencing a serious socio-economic crisis. The smallest state in South America, which is very politically divided, is wondering how to manage royalties from future oil operations.

While one in five Surinamese live below the poverty line, the government has begun to distribute the fruit of massive oil exploitation, which will begin in 2028. For the inhabitants, this financial breath will save and invest.

On Sunday, five months after the death of Desi Bouterse, Suriname will go to the polls. The stakes are high: the party that wins the parliamentary elections will have control over many oil billions that could make the country filthy rich.

Suriname poised for oil wealth injection as voters head to the polls

Besides investing in agriculture, tourism, health, education and green energy, some of the oil money is being paid directly to Surinamese citizens.

What’s at stake for the environment in Suriname’s upcoming elections?

Suriname, one of the most forested countries in the world, will hold elections this weekend for parliament and set up a vote for the next president. The outcome could determine whether the forest remains largely intact or succumbs to logging, agribusiness, mining and other threats that many officials argue are vital to economic growth. The vote will also be pivotal for Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities fighting for their ancestral land …

Suriname Votes for President Who Will Oversee Newly-Found Oil Wealth

Suriname, the South American nation hoping to replicate Guyana’s oil boom, is voting on Sunday in presidential and general elections to decide who will oversee energy and oil policy in the country over the next five years. Suriname, a former Dutch colony which gained independence in 1975, has a population of just over 600,000 residents who will choose among five presidential candidates in the May 25 election. Incumbent President Chan Santokhi se…