Ronald Runaldo Venetiaan (born 18 June 1936) is a former politician who served as the 6th

President of Suriname The president of the Republic of Suriname ( nl, President van de Republiek Suriname) is, in accordance with the Constitution of 1987, the head of state and head of government of Suriname, and commander-in-chief of the Suriname National Army ( ...

Biography

Venetiaan was born in

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...

. In 1955, Venetiaan left

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

to study

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

at the

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...

. In 1964, he obtained his

doctorandus Doctorandus (drs., ; ) is a Dutch academic title according to the pre-Bachelor–Master system. The female form is doctoranda (dra., though this abbreviation is no longer used). The title is acquired by passing the ''doctoraalexamen'', the exam wh ...

, and returned to Suriname to become a mathematics and physics teacher. In 1973 Venetiaan was Minister of Education for the

National Party of Suriname The National Party of Suriname ( nl, Nationale Partij Suriname, NPS) is a social democratic political party in Suriname, founded in 1946, and since June 2012 led by Gregory Rusland. For a long time it was the largest ruling party in the country, ...

(NPS) in the government of

Henck Arron Henck Alphonsus Eugène Arron (25 April 1936 – 4 December 2000) was the first Prime Minister of Suriname after it gained independence in 1975. A member of the National Party of Suriname, he served from 24 December 1973 with the transition gover ...

. He was disposed by the 1980 Surinamese coup d'état. Venetiaan decided to teach at the Anton de Kom University. In 1987, Venetiaan returned to politics as the Chairman of the National Party of Suriname, and as the Minister of Education. His first term as president ran from 1991 to 1996,Historie kabinet
/ref> after which he lost in the elections to

Jules Wijdenbosch Jules Albert Wijdenbosch (born 2 May 1941 in Paramaribo) is a Surinamese politician who was President of Suriname from 1996 to 2000. He was a member of the National Democratic Party, which held absolute power in Suriname during the 1980s. He was ...

. In 2000 however, he regained his former position on the New Front banner, receiving an absolute majority of 37 from 51 votes in the Parliament. In 2005 he was re-elected to serve a third term as president and sworn in on August 12, 2005. Venetiaan relinquished the Chair of the NPS to

Gregory Rusland Gregory Allan Rusland (born 9 November 1959) is a Surinamese politician. He served as Minister for Natural Resources between 2005 and 2010. In 2012 he became leader of the National Party of Suriname. Rusland has been a member of the National Ass ...

in 2012, and retired from politics in 2013. Venetiaan thought that it was time that the younger generation take over.

Personal life

Venetiaan is a mathematician beside all political activity. His surname means '' Venetian'' (a person from Venice) in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

. Venetiaan published his first poetry under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Vene in ''Mamio'' (1962). Most his work was never published but was performed in theatre plays. Venetiaan had also used the pseudonym Krumanty. Venetiaan is a collaborator on

Chan Santokhi Chandrikapersad "Chan" Santokhi ( Sarnami: चान संतोखी; ; born 3 February 1959) is a Surinamese politician and former police officer who is the 9th president of Suriname, since 2020. After winning the 2020 elections, Santokhi ...

's ''We gaan Suriname redden'' (We are going to save Suriname) of 2020. Ronald Venetiaan is married to Liesbeth Vanenburg, and has three daughters and one son.

References

External links

Poetry of Venetiaan at Digital Library for Dutch Literature
(in Dutch and Sranan Tongo) {{DEFAULTSORT:Venetiaan, Ronald 1936 births Living people Presidents of Suriname Education ministers of Suriname Honorary Order of the Yellow Star Leiden University alumni Members of the National Assembly (Suriname) National Party of Suriname politicians People from Paramaribo Surinamese Roman Catholics Surinamese poets Surinamese mathematicians Anton de Kom University of Suriname faculty