On June 22, the main opposition faction VHP in Suriname tabled a formal objection during a public plenary session of the country’s National Assembly (DNA), calling out a critical procedural violation committed by Assembly Speaker Ashwin Adhin that puts the entire meeting’s legal validity into question.
According to VHP faction leader Asis Gajadien, the error occurred before the session officially got underway. Adhin opened the meeting ahead of the formal handover of the chairmanship, and failed to sign the mandatory attendance register upon entering the chamber – a step explicitly required under Article 31 of the DNA’s Rules of Procedure, which mandates every member sign the attendance list when arriving for a session.
After the oversight was uncovered, Gajadien says faction leaders held emergency consultations to resolve the issue. The VHP proposed a straightforward fix: formally acknowledge the omission, restart the opening process following correct procedure, and then proceed with the meeting with full legal standing. To the opposition’s frustration, this compromise solution was never implemented. Assembly leadership instead pushed ahead with the session as if no procedural irregularity had occurred, prompting immediate protest from VHP representatives.
The VHP has emphasized that strict adherence to parliamentary procedures is a non-negotiable foundation for legitimate lawmaking in any democratic system. The party argues that as the nation’s highest representative body, the National Assembly must set a clear example of transparency, due process, and rule-of-law governance – these standards cannot be set aside for political convenience or practical shortcuts.
Despite the formal objection and public protest, the VHP chose to remain in the session to continue participating in deliberations, a decision driven by the critical item on the day’s agenda: the review of the national state budget. The faction noted that the broad social and economic interests tied to the budget process far outweigh the need to walk out over the procedural dispute.
VHP representatives stressed that their continued participation does not mean they are withdrawing their objection to the breach. The faction has formally called on Speaker Adhin to take immediate steps to ensure all parliamentary procedures are strictly followed in all future Assembly sessions, to protect the institution’s democratic legitimacy.