Paramaribo: Suriname has elected the party of strongman president Desi Bouterse, according to partial results early Tuesday from its general election.
Voters gave Bouterse`s National Democratic Party (NDP) 27 seats in the 51-member national assembly, the unofficial data said, enough to govern alone. Some votes have yet to be counted.
The NDP asked the country`s 350,000 registered voters to give it 26 seats in order to govern alone and 34 seats to re-elect 69-year-old Bouterse, a convicted drug trafficker who has ruled the country off and on since 1980.
The president is chosen by a two-thirds majority of parliament.
The party had formed a government following the last elections in 2010 by piecing together a broad coalition, returning Bouterse to power for the second time since his 1980-1987 military government.
Watching the results as they came in, NDP members claimed victory and celebrated with fireworks and dancing.
"This victory is based on our correct campaign and achievements," NDP official Andre Misiekaba told AFP.
Misiekaba said if the official results follow the partial numbers it would resolve deadlock problems in parliament.
"It can never happen again that we as lawmakers cannot hold a meeting for four months due to the quorum."
The V7, a six-party opposition coalition, took 17 seats, the results said. A possible powerbroker group Alternative Combination took 5 seats.
"We have campaigned to get a governable majority and we have not secured this, which to us is a disappointment. The voters have spoken and we have to respect that," said V7 leader Chan Santokhi.
Dutch-speaking Suriname has a racially diverse population of about 500,000. It was colonized by the British and Dutch and gained independence from the Netherlands in 1975.
