Drug-dealing ex-dictator facing murder charges makes gains in Suriname polls
A former dictator and convicted drug trafficker appears poised to regain political power in Suriname, where he has cultivated a following among young people despite facing trial for the execution of political opponents in the 1980s.
The main opposition party led by Desi Bouterse appears likely to gain at least some control in the South American parliament in Tuesday's election. His National Democratic Party currently holds 15 of the 51 seats.
Parliament routinely appoints a president shortly after its own elections. A president needs the vote of two-thirds of the lawmakers, so a coalition of Bouterse's party and two smaller parties might win enough seats to vote him back in to the country's top job.
A poll released during the campaign showed Bouterse's coalition with 41 percent of the vote compared to 29 percent for the governing New Front coalition in the area surrounding the capital, Paramaribo, the country's largest and most important election district.
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The main opposition party led by Desi Bouterse appears likely to gain at least some control in the South American parliament in Tuesday's election. His National Democratic Party currently holds 15 of the 51 seats.
Parliament routinely appoints a president shortly after its own elections. A president needs the vote of two-thirds of the lawmakers, so a coalition of Bouterse's party and two smaller parties might win enough seats to vote him back in to the country's top job.
A poll released during the campaign showed Bouterse's coalition with 41 percent of the vote compared to 29 percent for the governing New Front coalition in the area surrounding the capital, Paramaribo, the country's largest and most important election district.