The new president of Suriname is not welcome in the Netherlands – except to sit out a jail sentence. Desi Bouterse is not only a convicted drug trafficker, he’s also charged with having 15 political opponents shot in the notorious ‘December Murders’ of 1982 – his trial is ongoing. Yet on Monday he secured the backing of a majority in the Surinamese parliament to become the country’s president.

In 1980 Desi Bouterse staged a military coup in the former Dutch colony of Suriname, and headed a military dictatorship throughout the 1980s. He now takes the helm again, this time democratically elected.

The Netherlands has said it will only maintain contact with Suriname “on the basis of functional necessity”. Caretaker Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said, “We can’t ignore the fact that Bouterse has been sentenced to 11 years in jail in the Netherlands for drug trafficking.” However, Mr Verhagen pointed out that Mr Bouterse now enjoys immunity under international law. “As a consequence, his sentence can only be imposed once he is no longer serving in office and it becomes possible to arrest him.”

The Netherlands says it respects the results of the democratic elections and the will of the Surinamese parliament. It aims to maintain a businesslike and concerned relationship with the small Latin American country, which lies sandwiched between Guyana and French Guiana, bordering the north of Brazil. “The Netherlands will judge the new Surinamese government on its appointments, policy and actions. Existing obligations will be met unless developments make it impossible.”

Ties
Relations with Suriname won’t focus only on government cooperation, but equally on links between the two country’s societies. “The bonds between our countries are exceptional, due to our shared history and the many personal contacts between Dutch people and Surinamers,” said Mr Verhagen. Suriname gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1975, but ties are still close. The country has a population of fewer than half a million, yet there are more than 300,000 Surinamers living in the Netherlands. Although the creole language Sranan Tongo is more widely spoken, the country’s official language is Dutch.

Desi Bouterse himself says Suriname should take charge of its own affairs. After his election he called upon all Surinamers “to work together to build up the country,” adding “I reach out my hands to everyone. We must not let foreigners determine what happens in our country.”

Weird
Christian Democrat MP Kathleen Ferrier says she is interested to see what effect Mr Bouterse’s appointment will have on Suriname’s international relations. She hopes the Dutch government will continue to distinguish between political and civil ties with its former colonies, adding that “Development aid already granted to social organisations should still be spent.” Ms Ferrier is the daughter of a former Surinamese president, Johan Ferrier.

Labour MP Martijn van Dam describes the situation as “a bit weird”. “People voted for Bouterse hoping for progress in the country, but the question is what will happen now. There are not likely to be any state visits or official meetings between the Netherlands and Suriname,” says Mr Van Dam. “He has been convicted of drug trafficking and actually ought to be in jail. Anyone can understand that you have to deal with a president like this differently from the way you would another. I’m interested to see how the December Murders trial proceeds. Justice must take its course.”

“I’m curious to see if President Bouterse grants suspect Bouterse clemency if he’s convicted,” quipped liberal VVD MP Klaas Dijkhoff on Twitter.

Dark page
Desi Bouterse’s election is “a dark page in Suriname’s history,” says Romeo Hoost of the Suriname Victim’s Committee, the organisation behind the annual memorial ceremonies for the victims of the December Murders. With Mr Bouterse as president, says Mr Hoost, Suriname will become “the pariah of the international world,” adding he is “sad that Suriname has sunk so low”.

He said it is wrong that someone should be elected president when he has been convicted for drug trafficking in one country and is charged with involvement in multiple murders in another. “It’s terrible that the people who voted for him have overlooked this. They have a poor perception of history,” said Mr Hoost.