The Rule of Law
in Suriname

The Rule of Law in Suriname: Key Findings from the General Population Poll 2022 provides a comprehensive overview of how citizens perceive and experience the rule of law in Suriname alongside comparative findings across the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, and the Guianas. The findings in this report indicate some positive trends in the general public’s perspective on the rule of law in Suriname, including relatively positive perceptions of personal safety and police performance in the region. Despite these positive developments, however, these findings highlight the fact that many challenges—including deteriorating perceptions of fundamental freedoms, worsening perceptions of corruption, and declining levels of trust in institutions—persist. At the regional level, prominent trends include deteriorating perceptions of fundamental freedoms, worsening perceptions of corruption, and weakened confidence in criminal justice system performance.

1. Fundamental Freedoms

On average, fewer respondents believe that their freedoms of expression, political participation, election, and religion are guaranteed in The Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, and Suriname compared to the last year of data collection. In contrast, the average percentage of respondents who believe that these freedoms are guaranteed increased slightly in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Throughout the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, and the Guianas, fewer respondents agreed that people can join any political organization and that people can vote freely without feeling harassed or pressured when compared against the last year of data collection.

• Compared to respondents in regional peer countries, Surinamese respondents, on average, had more positive perceptions of the state’s respect for freedoms of political participation and religion.
• When asked about respect for fundamental freedoms in Suriname, respondents had more favorable views on freedom of religion, with 93% of respondents agreeing that religious minorities can observe their holy days. Conversely, Surinamese respondents had less favorable views on electoral freedoms, with 27% of respondents agreeing that local government officials are elected through a clean process.
• Perceptions of the state’s respect for overall fundamental freedoms deteriorated in Suriname between 2018 and 2022. The most significant declines include decreases in the perceptions that the media can expose cases of corruption (down 22 percentage points), civil society organizations can express opinions against the government (down 22 percentage points), and political parties can express opinions against the government (down 20 percentage points).

2. Corruption

Public views on the pervasiveness of corruption within the legislature and among national government officers deteriorated in almost every country in the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, and the Guianas. Within the region, on average, more Haitian respondents reported perceptions of corruption across all actors than their regional peers, whereas Surinamese respondents reported the same least frequently.

• Political parties are considered the most corrupt institution in Suriname. Approximately 82% of respondents believe that most or all members of Surinamese political parties are involved in corrupt practices.
• Teachers in public schools are considered the least corrupt actors in Suriname, with 7% of respondents reporting that they believe most or all teachers are involved in corrupt practices.

3. Attitudes Towards Corrupt Behaviors

Acceptance of corrupt behaviors in the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, and the Guianas is relatively common compared to in the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean. Throughout the region, respondents, on average, most often found a public officer recruited on the basis of family ties and friendship networks to be acceptable. Elected officials taking public funds for private use and company officials asking for a bribe from a job applicant were tolerated the least often. On average, respondents in Haiti most often found certain cases of bribery, nepotism, and embezzlement always or usually acceptable, whereas respondents in Suriname least often found these behaviors acceptable.

• Surinamese respondents most often felt that it was acceptable for a public officer to be recruited on the basis of family ties and friendship networks (4%).
• Surinamese least often felt that it was acceptable for an elected official to take public funds for private use (<1%).

4. Bribery Victimization

On average, respondents in the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, and the Guianas reported paying a bribe most often in Haiti and least often in The Bahamas. Throughout the region, respondents most frequently had to pay a bribe when interacting with police officers and car registration agency officers in the last 12 months, on average. Respondents least frequently had to pay a bribe when interacting with public utility company officers.

5. Trust

Respondents in the Greater Antilles, The Bahamas, and the Guianas trust judges and magistrates or people living in their country more than any other public actor, with the exception of respondents in Haiti, who had the most trust in police officers. Respondents in the region expressed the lowest average levels of trust in executive actors or police officers. On average, respondents in Suriname least often reported having some or a lot of trust across all institutions. In contrast, respondents in Guyana reported the highest overall levels of trust.

• Levels of trust in Suriname declined across every institution between 2018 and 2022. Trust in national government officers declined the most between 2018 and 2022, with 19% of respondents reporting some or a lot of trust in 2022, compared to 37% in 2018.
• In 2022, respondents in Suriname most often reported having some or a lot of trust in judges and magistrates (42%) and least often reported having some or a lot of trust in national government officers (19%).