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Jennifer Geerlings-Simons
President-elect of Suriname From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Jennifer Geerlings-Simons (née Simons; born 5 September 1953[1]) is a Surinamese physician and politician who is the president-elect of Suriname.[2] She served as Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Suriname between 2010 and 2020, becoming the second female chairman of the Surinamese Parliament.[3] In 2024, she became the leader of the National Democratic Party.[4] After her party won a narrow victory in the 2025 general election, she was elected President on 6 July 2025.[5] She is due to become the first female president in the nation's history.
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Biography
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Simons was first elected as a member of the National Assembly in 1996, representing the district of Paramaribo. She served as one of the vice-chairpersons of the National Democratic Party, which was founded by Dési Bouterse. She was leader of the parliamentary fraction from 2000 until 2006.
In April 2012, Simons was accused by the opposition in the parliament of dictatorial behaviour because of her decision to forbid members of the parliament from referring to the amnesty law of April 2012 during a debate on the anti-stalking law.[6]
On 8 April 2020, the Law Exceptional Condition COVID-19 (State of Emergency) had been approved by the National Assembly in order to fight against the coronavirus pandemic.[7] The State of Emergency will go into effect for three months unless the National Assembly one-off extends the duration for another three months.[8] Simons was appointed to lead the Parliamentary COVID-19 Crisis Management Team.[9]
On 20 June 2020, Simons announced her retirement from politics. She had been elected in the 2020 Surinamese general election, but has decided not to take her seat. Stephen Tsang who was on 6th place on the NDP list, is now eligible for the National Assembly.[10]
On 13 July 2024, she succeeded Dési Bouterse as the leader of the National Democratic Party.[4] The following year, she led the NDP to first place in the general election. The NDP hammered out a coalition agreement with five other parties to support Geerlings-Simons for president. Between them, the coalition has 34 seats, exactly the two-thirds supermajority needed to make her Suriname's first female president without the support of other parties.[11] On 3 July, the Progressive Reform Party, which led the governing coalition, said it would not put forward a candidate against Geerlings-Simons. No one else lodged a candidacy by the deadline, assuring Geerlings-Simons' election.[11] She was elected unopposed as president on 6 July with NPS leader Gregory Rusland as vice president.[2]
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Personal life
In 1981, Simons married Glenn Geerlings. They have 3 children.[citation needed]
Geerlings-Simons is a medical doctor.[12] She earned her medical degree from the Anton de Kom University of Suriname, Faculty of Medicine.[1]
References
External links
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