Former Suriname President Chandrikapersad ‘Chan’ Santokhi dies at 67

Former President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi, has died at the age of 67 following a medical emergency at his home on March 30.

According to initial reports, an ambulance was called to Santokhi’s residence earlier in the day. He was subsequently transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Suriname’s President Jennifer Simons paid tribute to Santokhi in a statement shared on social media, acknowledging his decades of public service.

“His many years of service in various public offices will be remembered,” Simons said.

Santokhi, who served as Suriname’s ninth president, was born on February 3, 1959, in Lelydorp, in what is now the Wanica district. He grew up in a rural community as the youngest of nine children in an Indo-Surinamese Hindu family. His father worked at the Paramaribo harbor, while his mother was a shop assistant in Lelydorp.

Santokhi rose to the presidency following the May 2020 general elections, when his Progressive Reform Party (VHP) emerged as the largest political party. He formally announced his candidacy on May 30, 2020, and was later nominated by the party and a governing coalition.

On July 13, 2020, Santokhi was elected president by acclamation in an uncontested election after no other candidates were nominated. He was inaugurated three days later, on July 16, at Onafhankelijkheidsplein in Paramaribo, during a ceremony held without public attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

His inauguration reflected Suriname’s multicultural religious traditions. Santokhi took the oath of office while reciting Hindu Sanskrit shlokas and mantras, and the ceremony also included blessings from Christian religious leaders.

During his presidency, Santokhi sought to strengthen diplomatic ties, including a notable visit to the Netherlands in September 2021. The trip marked the first visit by a Surinamese president since 2008, following a period of strained relations between the two countries. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte described the renewed engagement as “historic.”

In his personal life, Santokhi married his longtime partner, lawyer Mellisa Seenacherry, on July 19, 2020, in a private ceremony shortly after taking office. He is survived by Seenacherry and two adult children — a daughter and a son — from a previous marriage.

Santokhi’s death marks the passing of a significant political figure in Suriname’s modern history, whose tenure came during a period of economic recovery efforts and renewed diplomatic engagement for the South American nation.