PARAMARIBO, Suriname — Chandrikapersad Santokhi, the former president of Suriname who steered the nation through economic stabilization and investigated one of the country’s most traumatic historical episodes, has passed away at age 67. The announcement came from current President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons via social media, though the precise cause of death remains undisclosed.
Santokhi, affectionately known as “Chan,” served as president from 2020 to 2025 after previously holding the justice and police portfolio from 2005 to 2010. His career spanned multiple decades of public service, beginning as a police commissioner where he led the investigation into the December 1982 killings—a brutal episode where 15 political dissidents were executed under the military regime of former dictator Desi Bouterse.
His tenure as president marked a critical transition period for Suriname. Inheriting an economically devastated nation from Bouterse, Santokhi implemented an International Monetary Fund program that restored fiscal stability but demanded significant sacrifices from citizens through the elimination of fuel, water, and electricity subsidies. These austerity measures sparked substantial public discontent, culminating in February 2023 when protesters stormed parliament demanding his resignation.
Despite these challenges, Santokhi earned international recognition for his efforts to strengthen ties with the Netherlands, Suriname’s former colonial ruler. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten expressed profound shock at Santokhi’s passing, noting his “tireless work” to enhance bilateral relations.
Santokhi’s legacy includes his earlier role as “The Sheriff”—a nickname earned during his crackdown on drug trafficking as justice minister. His dogged pursuit of justice in the December killings case eventually led to Bouterse’s conviction and 20-year prison sentence, though the former dictator remained a fugitive until his death in 2024. The two maintained a fierce political rivalry throughout their careers, with Bouterse once accusing Santokhi of plotting against him.
Santokhi’s political career concluded when voters denied him a second term in the May 2025 general elections, ending his leadership of the Progressive Reform Party which he had chaired since 2011.