Suriname’s former military ruler Desi Bouterse, convicted in the Netherlands for cocaine smuggling, was elected to succeed Ronald Venetiaan as the South American country’s president.
Bouterse was elected head of state by the National Assembly in the capital Paramaribo today after his four-party coalition won 23 of 51 seats in May parliamentary elections. The Netherlands, which granted Suriname independence in 1975, said the former dictator wouldn’t be welcome in the country except to serve out an 11-year prison sentence for his crime, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said in an e-mailed statement.
Bouterse, 64, led a group of army sergeants that overthrew Suriname’s democratic government in 1980 and declared a socialist course. The military ruled the country’s 490,000 inhabitants until 1987. The country borders Brazil and is known for its bauxite mines
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