Former coup leader takes office as President of Suriname

Desi Bouterse was inaugurated as President of Suriname Thursday, pledging to work with the opposition to develop Suriname.

"I solemnly promise that service and sacrifice will be the base of my work," Bouterse said after he was sworn-in at a ceremony in the capital, Paramaribo. "The opposition are not our opponents. We see them as cooperation partners to accomplish policy together,” he added.

Bouterse, 64, is a controversial leader. He is currently on trial for his role in killing 15 political opponents in 1982. On two occassions - in 1980 and again in 1990 - he seized power through military coups and is currently facing trial for murder.

His rise to the highest office this time is based on his election in Parliament in May.
However he is not governing with a majority.

No political party or alliance scored an outright majority in the May 25 general election but Bouterse’s Mega Combination won the largest block of parliamentary seats.

Bouterse first made world news headlines when he seized power in a coup in 1980, just five years agfter the country gained its independence from The Netherlands. It was a popular uprising.

He suspended Suriname’s constitution, dissolved the Parliament and installed a moderate politcal group to form a cabinet compirsed mostly of civilians. But he maintained de facto control.

In 1990 he formalised that control when he took power again in a bloodless, toppling the government of President Ramsewak Shankar that was elected in 1987.

Bouterse’s chequered past includes a 1999 conviction in absentia by a Dutch court for trafficking cocaine to the Netherlands. Prosecutors said he was the leader of the “Suri Cartel”.

However, he has avoided an 11-year prison term because the two countries do not have an extradition treaty.

The Dutch ambassador accepted an invitation to attend Thursday's swearing in although when Bouterse's election was announced the Dutch foreign ministry was cool to the idea of recognising him.

The Dutch foreign minister was quoted in May as saying the president would be welcome in Holland only to serve his time in jail. However time and circumstance chanhed that position.

An official release from the Dutch government said, "The ambassador...will attend the inauguration of the democratically elected president of Suriname."

It added, "The Netherlands has always striven for a businesslike and close relationship with Suriname and indicated that functional contact will be maintained with the new Surinamese government and its head of state.

"The relationship between the Netherlands and Suriname remains a special one, because of their shared history, the common language and the personal relations between people in the two countries,” the Dutch foreign ministry said.

The U.S. Ambassador to Suriname, John R. Nay, is reported to have said he is pleased Bouterse is reaching out to his opponents.

A Reuters report Wednesday quoted him as saying, “We’re prepared to work with any government that shares our values and that we can work together with on our mutual interests. We have many."

No foreign leaders attended the ceremony, but Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sent his foreign minister to the event.
Despite his past, Bouterse is particularly popular among the grassroots and young people of Suriname.

During his election campaign, he pledged that his party would introduce significant changes in education, develop and consolidate major industries, create employment and transform Suriname's housing sector.