The Permanent Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), Ambassador Clarems Endara, congratulates Jennifer Geerlings-Simons on her election by the National Assembly of Suriname as the first woman to hold the presidency of the country.

“I take this office to serve. And I will use all my knowledge, strength and insight to make our wealth available to all our people, with special attention to our youth and all those who have so far not had the opportunities for optimal development,” Geerlings-Simons told parliamentarians.

Geerlings-Simons’ party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), won 18 of the 51 seats in the 25 May legislative elections and an alliance with five smaller parties gave her the two-thirds majority needed to win the presidency.

Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, also known as “Jenny” Simons, is a 71-year-old medical doctor by profession, who obtained her PhD from the Anton de Kom Universiteit in Suriname and completed postgraduate studies in epidemiology and leprosy management. Her political career began in 1996, when she was elected to the National Assembly from the constituency of the capital, Paramaribo. She played a key role as Speaker of the Surinamese Parliament for ten years, from 2010 to 2020, the second woman to hold this position.

She will be accompanied by Gregory Rusland, 65, who was elected as the new vice-president of Suriname. The inauguration will take place on 16 July, the date on which the mandate of the current president, Chan Santokhi, comes to an end.

From SELA, we wish her success in her administration and ratify our commitment to promote a work agenda in convergence, in order to continue working together for the development and integration of Latin America and the Caribbean.