PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC -One week before voters in this Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country go to the polls to elect a new government, the authorities here have to deal with the situation of more than 650 polling station staff leaving the training exercises ahead of the May 25 poll.
Deputy Minister of the Interior Maurits Hassankhan and his director Nasier Eskak, speaking at a news conference, confirmed that despite leaving the training program, the 652 people would each receive SRD2 400 (one SRD = 0.02 cents), resulting in the state having to pay out at least SRD1.2 million.
They said that the polling workers had withdrawn from the Paramaribo district and that while no agreement was signed, the ministry had promised to pay everyone who took the training.
“We didn’t want to put any extra pressure on people, so this time, we deliberately chose not to have them sign an agreement,” Eskak said, adding, “Such an agreement could have included that those who sign up for the training are also obligated to work on election day.”
The authorities said that the payments will be made after the elections.
Under the Suriname electoral law, at least 10 members must staff each polling station. In Paramaribo alone, there are 275 polling stations, which brings the total number of people needed to 2,750.
But Eskak is pleased that 1,300 new people registered this week to work at a polling station and that with this number, the election will not be compromised, the director notes.
The two officials also announced that 275,896 polling cards had been delivered to homes up until May 14, representing 69.1 percent of the eligible voters.
Hassan Khan said that in the previous election, held in 2015, 89 percent of the polling cards were ultimately distributed, including the cards collected afterward at an administrative office or at the polling station on election day. In 2020, that figure was 75 percent.
According to Director Eskak, experience shows that approximately 25 percent of eligible voters do not show up for the elections, amounting to approximately 100,000 votes.
The authorities said that during the door-to-door electoral visits, it became apparent that many people no longer live at the address at which they are registered with the Central Bureau for Civil Affairs.
Eskak said that no law requires citizens to report a change of address immediately, nor a sanction for failing to do so.
Voters in Suriname will cast ballots for the 51 seats in the National Assembly using party-list proportional representation. Previous general elections had been held using ten multi-member constituencies, but following a ruling by the Constitutional Court in 2022 that judged them unconstitutional, the constituencies were abolished, and all 51 seats will be elected from a single nationwide constituency.
No party won an outright majority in the 51-member National Assembly in the 2020 elections, and President Chandrikapersad Chan Santokhi is leading his coalition government into the May 25 elections. The main challenge is expected to come from the National Democratic Party (NDP), which had been headed for years by the late president, Desi Bouterse.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Elections Information Committee has informed the National Foundation for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Suriname of assistance for people with a visual impairment.
While one suggestion was to make ballot papers available in Braille, the Committee Chair, Sabitrie Gangapersad, has indicated that Braille is being used less and less internationally, partly because of the high costs and the fact that not all blind people can handle it.
Instead, modern alternatives, such as audio support, are being considered, but these will not be available for the upcoming elections on 25 May.
Gangapersad said the Electoral Decree stipulates that blind or visually impaired people must come to the polling station with an attendant. In addition, an alternate member of the polling station is appointed to color in the ballot paper according to the voter’s wishes, under the supervision of the attendant.
During the meeting, attendees were also presented with sample ballots so they could become familiar with the format.
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