Origen
Most Surinamers live in the narrow, northern coastal plain. The population is one of the most ethnically varied in the world. Each ethnic group preserves its own culture and many institutions, including political parties, tend to follow ethnic lines. Informal relationships vary: the upper classes of all ethnic backgrounds mix freely; outside of the elite, social relations tend to remain within ethnic groupings. All groups may be found in the schools and workplace. The backbone of Suriname's economy is the export of alumina and small amounts of aluminum produced from bauxite mined in the country. In 1999, the aluminum smelter was closed. However, alumina exports accounted for 72% of Suriname's estimated export earnings of $496.6 million in 2001. Suriname's bauxite deposits have been among the world's richest. In 1984, SURALCO, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), formed a joint venture with the Royal Dutch Shell-owned Billiton Company, which did not process the bauxite it mined in Suriname. Under this agreement, both companies share risks and profits. At independence, Suriname signed an agreement with the Netherlands providing for about $1.5 billion in development assistance grants and loans over a 10- to 15-year period. Dutch assistance allocated to Suriname thus amounted to about $100 million per year, but was discontinued during periods of military rule. After the return to a democratically elected government in 1991, Dutch aid resumed. The Dutch relationship continues to be an important factor in the economy, with the Dutch insisting that Suriname undertake economic reforms and produce specific plans acceptable to the Dutch for projects on which aid funds could be spent. In 2000, however, the Dutch revised the structure of their aid package and signaled to the Surinamese authorities their decision to disburse aid by sectoral priorities as opposed to individual projects. Although the present government is not in favor of this approach, it has identified sectors and is now working on sectoral analyses to present to the Dutch.
Constitución
Type: Constitutional democracy. Constitution: September 30, 1987. Independence: November 25, 1975. Branches: Executive--president, vice president, Council of Ministers. Legislative--elected 51-member National Assembly made up of representatives of political parties. Judicial--Court of Justice. Administrative subdivisions: 10 districts. Political parties: Governing Coalition--National Party of Suriname (NPS), Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Pertjaja Luhur, Suriname Workers Party (SPA). Other parties in the National Assembly--Democratic Alternative '91 (DA 91), Democratic National Platform (DNP) 2000, Political Wing of the FAL (Federation of Agricultural Workers), Progressive Workers and Farmers Union (PALU), National Democratic Party (NDP), Democratic Party (DP), Javanese Indonesian Peasants Party (KTPI), Independent Progressive Democratic Alternative (OPDA). Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Gobierno
The Republic of Suriname is a constitutional democracy based on the 1987 constitution. The legislative branch of government consists of a 51-member unicameral National Assembly, simultaneously and popularly elected for a 5-year term. The executive branch is headed by the president, who is elected by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly or, failing that, by a majority of the People's Assembly for a 5-year term. If at least two-thirds of the National Assembly cannot agree to vote for one presidential candidate, a People's Assembly is formed from all National Assembly delegates and regional and municipal representatives who were elected by popular vote in the most recent national election. A vice president, normally elected at the same time as the president, needs a simple majority in the National Assembly or People's Assembly to be elected for a 5-year term. As head of government, the president appoints a cabinet of ministers. There is no constitutional provision for removal or replacement of the president unless he resigns. A 15-member State Advisory Council advises the president in the conduct of policy. Eleven of the 15 council seats are allotted by proportional representation of all political parties represented in the National Assembly. The president chairs the council, and two seats are allotted to representatives of labor, and two are allotted to employers' organizations. The judiciary is headed by the Court of Justice (Supreme Court). This court supervises the magistrate courts. Members are appointed for life by the president in consultation with the National Assembly, the State Advisory Council, and the National Order of Private Attorneys. The country is divided into 10 administrative districts, each headed by a district commissioner appointed by the president. The commissioner is similar to the governor of a U.S. State but serves at the president's pleasure.
Historia General
The Republic of Suriname is located to the north of the coast of South America and it is well known after the proclamation of its independence like Dutch Guiana. It is a rare cultural enclave of extraordinary and ethnic variety that derives from the Dutch and English colonization, who contracted workers from India and Indonesia and due to the import of African slaves. Most of its 163,270 km2 is formed by tropical forests, some are completely virgin. In the rear area there are two authentic cultures: Amerindian and the one of the slaves. Also Chinese, European Indians, Creoles, Javaneses and other racial groups inhabit in this territory. The official language is Dutch although a reasonable number of people speaks English and other languages derived from the ancestors that came from India, Africa, Indonesia and China. The international language in Surinam is the Sranan Tongo, Creole language spoken by almost all. From 1998 on, companies of tourism have stimulated the ecological tourism in the interior, establishing houses of guests and packages of trips. One of the recognized organizations is the METS (Movement for the Echo-tourism in Surinam), which works with indigenous people to visit their communities. The best time to visit Surinam is in its dry season, from the beginning of February to the end of April and in the middle of August at the beginning of December. Here there is no day without sun, not even during the rain season. The average temperature is of 27º C and at night it can be lower until reaching 20ºC.
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