PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC -Vice President Ronnie Brunswick has hinted at the possibility of retiring from active politics, telling supporters, “I will no longer be in politics in 2030”.
Brunswijk, who was re-elected chairman of the General Liberation and Development Party (ABOP), a member of the ruling coalition government in this Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, said nonetheless he still wants to become head of state depending on how many seats the party wins at the general elections scheduled for next year.
Chairman Ronnie Brunswick addressed the ABOP conference on Sunday.
“I have so many grandchildren; I want to live a quiet life. To have all those problems of the country on you, at such an age, wouldn’t be nice, would it?” said the 62-year-old Brunswick former rebel leader.
ABOP was founded in 1990 by expelled members of the Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP), and Brunswick joined the party in 1996 and was re-elected as chairman for the fifth time on Sunday.
Following his re-election, he told reporters, “I have already said I will no longer be in politics in 2030.
“This (term) runs until 2027. Then I think I can run for it again as chairman. But no longer in political positions,” he said, even as he harbored the idea of being head of state in Suriname.
“All political parties want to one day hold the highest office. In that regard, it does not depend on me. I could have ambitions for the presidency, but you have no seats. So only when those seats are available, only when it is realistic, can we start talking about the presidency,” he said, noting that the ABOP wants to obtain more than ten seats in 2025.
He told party supporters, “We will have to work very hard to acquire a better position in 2025,” saying that a mass public meeting will be held on May 25 to “test the strength” of the party.
“This is not the position we want to be in. If you want to change this position… it is not only up to the leader. The structures will have to ensure that more people join the party. With this leader, we will not be inferior to anyone in this party. This year, we will take no underdog position whatsoever. We have to work. If we don’t start now, we won’t make it to the 2025 elections,” Brunswick said, calling for an end to the bickering within the party.
“The work must begin. For me, there is no more day or night. Now it is ‘ten no de.’ We want 2025 to come quickly so that we can vote. After 2025, we will vote,” said Brunswick, who will remain ABOP chairman until 2027.
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