At least three political parties have taken steps after irregularities were detected at several main polling stations. The National Democratic Party (NDP) and De Nieuwe Leeuw (DNL) have pressed charges and want the police to investigate the falsifying of documents and fraud.
Democratisch Alternatief 91 (DA 91) announced that it would send a letter to the Organization of American States (OAS). Last Sunday Jennifer van Dijk-Silos, head of the Anti Fraud Platform
(AFP), sounded the alarm because of many irregularities at the nation’s main polling stations. Just like Van Dijk-Silos Samseerali Sheikh-Alibaks, chairman of the Independent Election Bureau (OKB), expressed his concerns over the mistakes that were made when the lists of candidates for the district councils and resort councils were handed in. The official documents were not signed and the names of candidates appear on the lists of several parties. This double appearance has mostly been detected on the lists of the VHP and the ABOP. DA 91 Chairwoman Angelic Del Castilho announced that she came across problems in the Wanica District.
“We only had a problem with the district council list of candidates in Wanica. We therefore sent a letter of protest to the main polling station, the president, the Central Main Polling Bureau and the representative of the Organization of American States in
Suriname. We are waiting for a response. The main polling station of
Wanica refused to let DA 91 make changes to its documents within the legal window of 3 days. That is unheard of, unacceptable and against the law,” said Del Castilho. Ricardo Panka, spokesman of the
NDP, pointed out that his party pressed charges at the police in Coronie and Para because the names of candidates from the NDP are also on the lists of the ABOP. The signatures of these candidates were also falsified. “These are all serious offences which is why the NDP went to the police,” said Panka. The purple party wants the police to get to the bottom of this and made it clear that this issue must not be underestimated as the irregularities could have a negative impact on the election process in Para and Coronie. The chairman of the DNL, Dharm Mungra, told Times of Suriname that his party pressed charges in Coronie because candidates from his party also pop up on lists of the VHP party. “These people used to be members of the VHP but joined the DNL/ KTPI. “Their signatures were also falsified,” said Mungra.
