Anne-Marel Linger is the new chair of the Onafhankelijk Kiesbureau (OKB, Independent Electoral Bureau). She and sixteen other members were sworn in by President Jennifer Simons on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, during a ceremony at the presidential palace. Aroon Samjhawan has been appointed deputy chair. Three of the twenty appointed members will be sworn in at a later date, as they are currently abroad.
During the swearing-in ceremony, President Simons stressed the importance of an independent and impartial electoral bureau for society’s confidence in the democratic process. According to the head of state, citizens must be able to trust that the OKB carries out its work without political influence.
“The citizen must be able to rely on your judgment remaining independent. Even when political interests are high,” Simons said. She described the OKB as a special oversight institution within the democratic rule of law.
The president pointed out to the new members that they carry a responsibility directly linked to the voting rights of every eligible Surinamese voter.
Improving the electoral process
Simons called on the new composition to evaluate experiences from previous elections and improve existing working methods where necessary. According to her, a strong organisation and careful procedures are important to safeguard the reliability of future elections.
She also stressed the importance of cooperation with independent international election observers.
Linger wants to focus on professionalisation
The new OKB chair Anne-Marel Linger thanked, on behalf of the sworn-in members, for the trust placed in them. She stressed that overseeing elections entails a major responsibility.
“Free, fair and secret elections are, after all, one of the most important foundations of our democratic rule of law,” Linger stated.
The chair also expressed her appreciation for the previous compositions of the OKB. According to her, her predecessors laid an important foundation on which the new members can build.
Linger indicated that the new board wants to work jointly on the further strengthening, modernisation and professionalisation of the electoral bureau. Integrity, cooperation and careful implementation of the statutory duties must be central to this.
Election oversight
The Onafhankelijk Kiesbureau is tasked with overseeing general, free and secret elections in Suriname. The institution also determines the election result in a binding manner.
Its work includes, among other things, checking the electoral register, overseeing voter lists and polling stations, and investigating possible irregularities during the electoral process.
With the swearing-in of the new members, the OKB has a new composition that will be responsible for carrying out these statutory oversight duties.
