Ronald Venetiaan, then president of Suriname, in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, during the 5th Summit of the Americas, on April 17, 2009. YURI CORTEZ / AFP
Suriname's three-time former president Ronald Venetiaan, a key architect in the development of the small Dutch-speaking South American country, died on Wednesday, November 5, at the age of 89, his family said. The former math teacher was first elected president in 1991 and later won re-election in 2000 and 2005. He served 15 years in total as leader of the country of around 600,000 inhabitants.
"He was a statesman and a great son of the nation, who dedicated his life to serving Suriname," President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons said. She highlighted his "significant role in the country's development" and "commitment to education, democracy, and good governance." Former president Chan Santokhi, who served as Venetiaan's justice minister, called him an "exceptional stateman" whose death left "a great void."
Venetiaan was born in Suriname's capital Paramaribo in 1936 under Dutch rule. After completing his studies in the Netherlands, he returned home to become a teacher and then minister of education after independence in 1975.
