Paramaribo, Suriname---Suriname voted in general elections Monday with its convicted drug trafficker president, Desi Bouterse, seeking to tighten his controversial grip on power.
Bouterse, who has ruled the small South American country on and off since 1980, is looking to end his alliance with one-time nemesis Ronnie Brunswijk and preside over the first non-coalition democratic government in Suriname's history.
Bouterse's National Democratic Party formed a government at the last elections in 2010 by forging a motley mega-coalition, returning him to power for the second time since his 1980-1987 military government.
But after the coalition fell apart, the NDP decided to go it alone, buoyed by strong standings in opinion polls.
The party needs to win at least 26 seats in the 51-member National Assembly to govern alone, and 34 seats to re-elect Bouterse -- the president is chosen by a two-thirds majority of parliament.
Bouterse, who has been a two-time coup leader, dictator and international fugitive, was expected to cast his ballot late in the day.
His main opponent is Chan Santokhi, the leader of the V7, a six-party opposition coalition.
The V7, which has a broad ethnic base in the racially diverse country -- whose 500,000 people have roots in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas -- accuses Bouterse of massive corruption.
"We have had a strong campaign and we are convinced we will get the majority to rule on our own," Santokhi said as he cast his ballot.
The third main group in the election fray, and possible powerbroker, is the Alternative Combination alliance led by Brunswijk, a former guerrilla leader who fought a civil war against Bouterse's military government before teaming up with his former foe in 2010.
The party's base are the Maroons, the descendants of fugitive slaves who set up settlements in the Surinamese interior.
- Bouterse looms large -
Long lines had already formed at polling stations in the capital Paramaribo when voting began at 7:00 am (1000 GMT).
Election officials decided to remove curtains from voting booths to prevent voters from taking pictures of their ballots with their cell phones in return for money or favors.
"Selfies could be very dangerous," said Irene Klinger, the head of a team observing the vote from the Organization of American States.
After the 2010 elections, legislators took pictures with their cell phones as they cast their ballots for president in the National Assembly.
The smallest country in South America, Suriname was colonized by the British and Dutch and gained independence from the Netherlands in 1975.
AFP
