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Suriname: Countries
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Suriname was a parliamentary democracy in the years immediately following independence. Henk Arron became the first Prime Minister and was re-elected in 1977. On February 25, 1980, 16 noncommissioned officers overthrew the elected government, which many accused of inefficiency and mismanagement. The military-dominated government then suspended the constitution, dissolved the legislature, and formed a regime that ruled by decree. Although a civilian filled the post of president, a military man, Desi Bouterse, actually ruled the country.
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Suriname is a country full of sunshine! Not a day goes by without sunshine even in the rainy season. According to European standards Suriname is of course a warm climate country but due to a constant cool breeze coming from the North-east trade wind, the temperature is still pleasant, averaging around 28 degrees Celsius. In the far interior, the temperature at night can drop to 20 degrees Celsius. The long rainy season starts mid April to mid July and the small rainy season is from December to January. The two dry seasons are from mid July to November and February to mid April.
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Suriname has undergone numerous transitions to arrive at the democratically elected government it is today. Following its independence from the Netherlands in 1975, Suriname was subject to both civilian and military governments for sixteen years. In 1991 the country formed its consitutional democracy. The residing President is Ronald Venetiaan.
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Since gaining independence, Suriname has become a member of the United Nations, the OAS, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Suriname is a member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market and the Association of Caribbean States; it is associated with the European Union through the Lome Convention. The Netherlands remains Suriname’s biggest donor, but it has been surpassed by the U.S. as a trade partner. Suriname participates in the Amazonian Pact, a grouping of the countries of the Amazon Basin that focuses on protection of the Amazon region's natural resources from environmental degradation. Reflecting its status as a major bauxite producer, Suriname is ... a member of the International Bauxite Association. The country also belongs to the Economic Commission for Latin America, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.
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Suriname elected a new government in May 2000, but until it was replaced, the Wijdenbosch government continued its loose fiscal and monetary policies. By the time it left office, the exchange rate in the parallel market had depreciated further, over 10% of GDP had been borrowed to finance the fiscal deficit, and there was a significant monetary overhang in the country. The new government dealt with these problems by devaluing the official exchange rate by 88%, eliminating all other exchange rates except the parallel market rate set by the banks and cambios, raising tariffs on water and electricity, and eliminating the subsidy on gasoline. The new administration ... rationalized the extensive list of price controls to 12 basic food items. More important, the government ceased all financing from the Central Bank. It is attempting to broaden its economic base, establish better contacts with other nations and international financial institutions, and reduce its dependence on Dutch assistance.
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The official language in Suriname is Dutch but English is ... widely spoken along the coast. The only language spoken throughout the country is “Sranang Tongo”, the lingua franca of Suriname. Within the various ethnic groups and tribes the own language is also widely spoken.
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