Suriname

National Assembly

Political system
Presidential system
Structure of parliament
Unicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Data on women

Information on the current and historical representation of women in the parliament. Consult the 'Elections' tab to see how women have fared in elections or renewals.

Current representation

Women's representation in the current parliament or chamber

Current number of members
51
Women
16
Percentage of women
31.4%

Speaker

Click for historical data

Secretary general

Secretary General
Ruth L. de Windt (Female)

Data on age at the start of the legislature

Number of members, by age (2020-06)
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Male 0 4 9 3 2 13 3 1 0 0 35
Female 0 1 5 4 2 3 1 0 0 0 16
Totals per age interval 0 5 14 7 4 16 4 1 0 0 51
Total <= 45: 26 Total >= 46: 25
Percentage of members, by age
Age at the last election or renewal Overall Male Female
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger
9.8% 7.8% 2.0%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger
37.3% 25% 11.8%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger
51.0% 31% 19.6%

Reserved seats and quotas

There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
No
Electoral quota for women
No

First woman in parliament

Year of first woman in parliament
1975

Notes: 1975: Prior to independence, 1 woman was elected to the Parliament of Suriname in March 1963

First woman speaker

Year of first woman speaker
1997

Women’s suffrage

Date of independence
1975
Women’s right to vote
1975
Restricted or universal suffrage
Universal

Notes: Prior to independence, under Dutch administration, women were granted the right to vote on 9 December 1948. This right was confirmed at independence.

Women's right to stand for election
1975
Restricted or universal
Universal

Notes: Prior to independence, under Dutch administration, women were granted the right to vote on and stand for election 9 December 1948. These rights were confirmed at independence.

Women's caucus

Women's caucuses or parliamentary groups that bring together women parliamentarians to strengthen cooperation and amplify their voices. For other parliamentary bodies or committees that have a specific mandate to address gender equality matters, see the ‘Specialized body – Gender equality’ tab.

There is currently no women's caucus in this chamber.

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No