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Weekly Report - 20 August 2015 (WR-15-33)
SURINAME: Bouterse faces much tougher term in office
Desi Bouterse was inaugurated for a fresh five-year term as president of Suriname on 12 August. In a speech culminating in his rendition of Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’, the former dictator said that his main objective was winning Suriname’s economic independence, exactly 40 years after the country won its political independence from the Netherlands. Bouterse, who stitched together a coalition with a majority of 32 in the 51-seat national assembly, thanked the political opposition for agreeing to cooperate with his government in the national interest to get the economy back on the right track amid falling prices for Suriname’s main exports – bauxite and gold. The opposition is demanding sharp cuts in public spending, however, having accused Bouterse of profligacy during his 2010-2015 term and saddling future generations with debt.
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