| President of the Republic of Suriname | |
|---|---|
| President van de Republiek Suriname | |
 Standard of the president of Suriname | |
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| Style | Madam President (Informal) Her Excellency (Diplomatic) |
| Status | Head of state Head of government |
| Residence | Presidential Palace |
| Seat | Paramaribo |
| Appointer | National Assembly |
| Term length | Five years, renewable indefinitely |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Suriname (1987) |
| Precursor | Governor-General |
| Inaugural holder | Johan Ferrier |
| Formation | 25 November 1975; 49 years ago (1975-11-25) |
| Deputy | Vice President |
| Salary | 4,646,552Surinamese dollars/133,560 USD annually[1][2] |
| Website | Cabinet of the President |
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| Constitution |
Legislature |
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 Suriname portal |
Thepresident of the Republic of Suriname (Dutch:President van de Republiek Suriname) is, in accordance with the Constitution of 1987, thehead of state andhead of government ofSuriname, andcommander-in-chief of theSuriname National Army (SNL). The president also appoints acabinet.
The current president isJennifer Geerlings-Simons, a formerchairwoman of the National Assembly. She is affiliated with theNational Democratic Party (NDP). Simons was elected on 6 July 2025 as president by acclamation,[3] and inaugurated on 16 July on theOnafhankelijkheidsplein inParamaribo in a ceremony.[4]
The office of president was created upon independence from theNetherlands in 1975. Until 1987, the presidency was mostly a ceremonial post, discharging most of the functions previously vested in themonarchy of the Netherlands. For all intents and purposes, real power was vested in theprime minister.
The first officeholder wasJohan Ferrier, a schoolteacher and veteran politician who had served asgovernor since 1968. He resigned as president in August 1980, several months after acoup d'état. From then until 1988, the presidents were essentially army-installed puppets ofarmy commanderDési Bouterse, who ruled as ade factomilitary dictator with few practicalchecks on his power.
Bouterse allowed multiparty elections in1987, shortly after the currentconstitution was approved in areferendum. The presidency became an executive post, with duties and responsibilities similar to those of presidents insemi-presidential republics. On 24 December 1990, two days after Bouterse's resignation asarmy commander, the army called presidentRamsewak Shankar to inform him that he and his cabinet were removed from office, in anothercoup d'état; police chief and acting army commanderIvan Graanoogst was appointed acting president. On 27 December 1990, Johannes Kraag became the president. The army returned power to civilians in 1991, and the president has been freely elected ever since.
The president and a vice president are elected by no less than a two-thirdssupermajority of members in theNational Assembly to a five-year mandate and are accountable to the Assembly. During their time in office, the president must forfeit any additional posts in politics or business.
A candidate must be a Surinamese national (resident in the country for at least six years) who is at least 30 years of age. A candidate must win at least two-thirds of the votes in the Assembly to be elected. If no candidate wins two-thirds after three rounds, the vote then goes to the United People's Congress, composed of the Assembly and local government officials. In this case, a simple majority is required.
The president is vested with extensive functional powers. The president names and dismisses ministers, signs bills, and names and dismisses diplomatic staff. She declares war and states of emergency with the ratification of the National Assembly. She concludes foreign treaties and agreements, again with the assent of the Assembly. She also exercises ceremonial duties such as conferring awards, receiving foreign diplomats, and granting pardons.
| President | Term of office | Political party | Vice president(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||
| 1 | .jpg) | Johan Ferrier (1910–2010) | 25 November 1975 | 13 August 1980 [a] | 4 years, 262 days | NPS | Position not established |
| 2 | .jpg) | Henk Chin A Sen (1934–1999) | 15 August 1980[8] | 4 February 1982 [b] | 1 year, 173 days | PNR | |
| 3 | .jpg) | Fred Ramdat Misier (1926–2004) | 8 February 1982 | 25 January 1988 | 5 years, 351 days | Independent | |
| 4 |  | Ramsewak Shankar (born 1937) | 25 January 1988 | 24 December 1990 [c] | 2 years, 333 days | VHP | Henck Arron (NPS) |
| 5 | .jpg) | Johan Kraag (1913–1996) | 29 December 1990 | 16 September 1991 | 261 days | NPS | Jules Wijdenbosch (NDP) |
| 6 |  | Ronald Venetiaan (born 1936) | 16 September 1991 | 15 September 1996 | 4 years, 365 days | NPS | Jules Ajodhia (VHP) |
| 7 |  | Jules Wijdenbosch (1941–2025) | 15 September 1996 | 12 August 2000 | 3 years, 332 days | NDP | Pretaap Radhakishun (BVD) |
| (6) | | Ronald Venetiaan (born 1936) | 12 August 2000 | 12 August 2010 | 10 years | NPS | Jules Ajodhia (VHP) |
| Ramdien Sardjoe (VHP) | |||||||
| 8 |  | Dési Bouterse (1945–2024) | 12 August 2010 | 16 July 2020 | 9 years, 339 days | NDP | Robert Ameerali (ABOP) |
| Ashwin Adhin (NDP) | |||||||
| 9 | _v3.jpeg) | Chan Santokhi (born 1959) | 16 July 2020 | 16 July 2025 | 5 years | VHP | Ronnie Brunswijk (ABOP) |
| 10 | | Jennifer Geerlings-Simons (born 1953) | 16 July 2025 | Incumbent | 100 days (as of 24 October 2025) | NDP | Gregory Rusland (NPS) |
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