Suriname President Bouterse Lost May Election, Reuters Says

(Bloomberg) -- Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse lost the nation’s May 25 election, Reuters said, citing the nation’s electoral authority.

The opposition VHP party led by Chandrikapersad Santokhi claimed victory after the final results were published after three weeks of counting.

The electoral authority didn’t immediately reply to an email seeking comment, and calls to its headquarters went unanswered.

The VHP said in a post on its Facebook page that it won 20 seats in the 51-seat assembly to 16 for President Desi Bouterse’s NDP party, which would allow it to form a coalition government.

Bouterse, an ally of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, had sought a third five-year term as leader of the tiny South American nation, which is in deep economic crisis despite recent oil finds and investment from Exxon Mobil Corp. Investors are pricing in a high chance of default on the country’s nearly $700 million of overseas debt.

Bouterse was found guilty by a local court last year of the 1982 killings of political opponents. He has denied the charges and is appealing the decision. He has also been convicted in absentia in the Netherlands for cocaine smuggling.

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