Bouterse secures second presidential term

Suriname's President Desi Bouterse, a former military ruler convicted of drug trafficking in the Netherlands, officially secured his second term on Tuesday.

Bouterse's National Democratic Party (NDP) in May won a slim majority in the small South American country's National Assembly, all but guaranteeing him another five-year period.

With no other candidates, parliament automatically ratified his presidency on Tuesday, given the required quorum of 34 members present was met.

Suriname, on South America's northeastern shoulder, won independence from the Netherlands in 1975 and is a gold and bauxite miner with a nascent oil industry. d)