PARAMARIBO, Suriname (CMC) – An 11-member team of observers from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) has arrived in Suriname ahead of Sunday’s general election in that Dutch-speaking Caricom country.

The Caricom Election Observation Mission (CEOM) is being led by Dora James, the supervisor of elections in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Political observers say the race remains tight between Suriname’s two dominant political parties, the National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Progressive Reform Party (VHP). Recent polling indicates that neither is likely to secure an outright majority, setting the stage for complex coalition negotiations after the vote.

Under Suriname’s indirect electoral system, the president is elected by the 51-member National Assembly with a two-thirds majority. Failing that, the process moves to the broader United People’s Assembly (VVV), which includes over 900 members and requires only a simple majority.

A statement issued by the Guyana-based Caricom Secretariat said that regional leaders have committed to supporting member states “on their request, by providing an independent, impartial and honest assessment of the preparations for and conduct of general elections.

“In this context, the government of Suriname invited the Caribbean Community to deploy a CEOM to observe the conduct of general elections to be held on 25 May 2025”.

The statement said that since the team’s arrival, a courtesy call has been paid to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation, Albert Ramdin, and that the members “also had the opportunity to familiarise itself with some of the security measures in place to ensure the safety of the elections through a visit to the Command Centre”.

It said meetings will be held with representatives of various political parties and that the engagements will continue throughout the week with other stakeholders and civil society organisations, including the Youth Council, the Inter-Religious Council (IRIS), representatives of Indigenous and Maroon communities, and the Anti-Fraud Platform, among others.

”The CEOM’s engagement over the next few days is intended to provide an understanding of the pre-election environment. The team will also monitor the Polling Day activities, including the opening, conduct, and closing of the polls through to the tabulation of the ballots and declaration of the results.

“Throughout the mission, the CEOM will collect qualitative and quantitative data regarding the entire electoral process, including the actions and conduct of election officials, political actors, and other stakeholders, to assess the extent to which they contributed to the overall electoral environment,” the statement said, adding that following the election, the CEOM will issue a preliminary statement.

“The content will highlight the scope and the findings of the Mission. A final report will be prepared and submitted to the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community. This report will be shared with the government of Suriname, the Leader of the Opposition, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Independent Electoral Council. It will also be published on the Caricom website”.