Former President Santokhi dies suddenly 

Mar 31, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – Former President of Suriname Chandrikapersad Santokhi, who governed from 2020 to 2025, died ​suddenly on Monday at the age of 67, his successor ‌and the South American country’s current president said.

“His many years of service in various public offices will be remembered,” President Jennifer Simons said in a statement shared on ​social media. A cause of death was not immediately given. Santokhi, ​chairman of Suriname’s Progressive Reform Party, left office after last year’s elections. He won more votes as a member of parliament than any other ​lawmaker, but his party finished closely behind Simons’ National Democratic Party, which ​led to a coalition deal to install Simons as president.

Suriname’s president is elected indirectly, requiring the votes of two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly. As president, Santokhi ​implemented a series of painful reform measures backed by the International ​Monetary Fund. Opponents said he did not do enough to protect the poorer and vulnerable sectors of society. Santokhi told lawmakers in July that he took responsibility for his shortcomings and hoped he would be remembered for his commitment. After leaving the presidency, Santokhi continued to serve as a member of parliament. As a ​former police commissioner ​and later, as justice minister, Santokhi investigated the 1982 killing of 15 leading government critics, and pushed for the case to ​move ahead.

President Irfaan Ali hailed Santokhi as “a fine statesman” noting that he was voice of wisdom. “On behalf of the Government and people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and on my own behalf, I offer our deepest condolences to the Government and people of Suriname, and to the family of the late former President.  Former President Santokhi was a brother forged not by blood but by conviction, not by birth but by the shared calling of service. During his tenure as President, we walked a path together— leaders who understood that the destiny of our nations is woven from the same cloth.”

“We were brothers in regionalism, standing shoulder to shoulder in the councils of CARICOM, labouring in the vineyards of unity when the harvest seemed distant, and the work was hard. We were friends in the advancement of our shared global interests, raising our voices together on matters of principle. And in the quiet spaces between formal engagements, we were simply two men who had come to trust one another and to understand one another,” President Ali said.

He said under Santokhi’s steady guidance, the relationship between Guyana and Suriname blossomed. “He understood, as I do, that the river which divides us also connects us, that our histories are intertwined, and that the prosperity of one cannot be separated from the prosperity of the other.  The region has lost a fine statesman, one who carried the mantle of leadership with grace and humility. Guyana has lost a friend, one who gave of himself freely and without pretence.  I have lost a friend, someone whose presence in this world made the burdens of leadership lighter and the triumphs sweeter.”

“To the Government and people of Suriname, I say that your former President was a man of quiet strength. He served you with dedication and conviction. May his memory be a blessing that sustains you in the days ahead. To his family, I extend my most heartfelt condolences. May you find solace in the legacy he leaves behind. And may the love that surrounded him in life be a comfort to you in this hour of loss. The sun sets now on a life well lived. But for those of us who were privileged to walk alongside him, the light of his example, his friendship, and his brotherhood will not fade. It will remain a quiet glow in the memory, a gentle warmth in the heart,” the President said.

Caricom saddened

The Caribbean Community in a statement said it is deeply saddened to learn of the unexpected passing of Santokhi, who served as the ninth President of the Republic of Suriname from 2020 to 2025. “The former President represented his country with distinction in the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community serving as Chairman from July to December 2022 . During the Forty-Third Regular Meeting of the Conference in Paramaribo, President Santokhi dealt decisively with matters related to the expansion of the list of professions to be included for the skills certificate under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), the action to be taken by the Community in relation to Haiti and the development of the CARICOM Industrial Policy among others. The Community conveys heartfelt condolences to the Government and People of the Republic of Suriname, his wife and other members of his family and his political colleagues. The Community has lost a dedicated regionalist.  May his soul Rest in Peace,” the statement read.

Son of the soil

Acting Chairman of A New and United Guyana (ANUG) Jonathan Subrian in offering sincere condolences to the people of Suriname and the Santoki family, hailed the late leader as a son of the soil and Statesman, par excellence. “The passing of this former Surinamese President Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi is a profound loss not only for the people of Suriname but also for the people of Guyana. As a nation that shared with him a vision of regional integration and economic partnership, Guyana mourns a true friend and a distinguished statesman whose contributions to strengthening the bonds between our two countries will be remembered for generations,” ANUG said.

The party said President Santokhi’s leadership marked a turning point in Guyana-Suriname relations, noting that when he took office in 2020, he brought a commitment to partnership that transformed our bilateral dynamic from mere neighbourliness into genuine strategic cooperation. “His August 2021 official visit to Guyana set the stage for what President Irfaan Ali rightly described as a “new paradigm” in relations between our nations. Under President Santokhi’s leadership, the Guyana-Suriname Strategic Dialogue and Cooperation Platform flourished, yielding unprecedented collaboration across multiple sectors. His government worked alongside ours to advance initiatives that had long been discussed but never realized: the historic Corentyne River Bridge project, which he consistently championed as essential to our economic integration; cooperation in the oil and gas sector, recognizing the transformational potential both nations share; and agreements on everything from agricultural trade to health services.”

According to ANUG what made President Santokhi remarkable was his deep understanding of our shared history and heritage. “He recognized that Guyana and Suriname were, for centuries, a single Dutch colonial territory, and that this common identity continues to bind our peoples. He spoke often of the role Guyanese have played in Suriname’s economy and welcomed our citizens as partners in his nation’s development. This spirit of mutual respect and recognition defined his approach to regional cooperation.”

“President Santokhi also demonstrated solidarity with Guyana in moments that mattered. He understood our struggles because his nation had faced similar challenges. When he spoke of turning around Suriname’s economy through difficult structural adjustments, he drew parallels to the work of Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan. He understood that our two nations share not only geography but also the experience of overcoming adversity through determination and sound governance,” ANUG said.

The party noted that Guyana will remember President Santokhi for his humility and quiet strength. “We will remember his charm, his Jagan-like charisma, and his ability to connect with ordinary people. But above all, we will remember him as the leader who looked across the Corentyne River and saw not a divide but an opportunity—a bridge to be built, partnerships to be forged, and a future of shared prosperity. To the government and people of Suriname, and especially to the Santokhi family, ANUG extends our deepest condolences. The legacy President Santokhi leaves—in the strengthened ties between our nations, in the projects he advanced, and in the friendship he cultivated—will endure. He was, and will remain, a genuine friend of Guyana,” the ANUG statement concluded.

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• Chandrikapersad Santokhi, died, Jennifer Simons, Suriname President

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