Progressive Reform Party Vooruitstrevende Hervormings Partij (Dutch) वूरुइत्स्त्रेवेन्दे हेर्वोर्मिङ्स पर्तिज (Sarnami Hindustani) | |
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| Abbreviation | VHP |
| Chairman | Chan Santokhi |
| Founded | January 1949 |
| Merger of |
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| Ideology | Social democracy Third Way[citation needed] Civic nationalism Progressivism[citation needed] Historical: Indo-Surinamese civil rights Javanese Surinamese civil rights Minority religious rights |
| Political position | Centre[citation needed] to centre-left[citation needed] |
| Seats in the National Assembly | 20 / 51 |
| Website | |
| http://www.vhp.sr/ | |
The Progressive Reform Party (Dutch: Vooruitstrevende Hervormings Partij, VHP; Sarnami Hindustani: वूरुइत्स्त्रेवेन्दे हेर्वोर्मिङ्स पर्तिज or प्रगतिशील सुधार दल, Pragatisheel Sudhaar Dal),[a] is a political party in Suriname. It was originally founded in January 1949 as a merger of three parties to represent the Indo-Surinamese community. The party occupies a position straddling the political centre[citation needed] and centre-left[citation needed], advocating for a combination of social-democratic[citation needed] and social-liberal[citation needed] policies under the Third Way[citation needed] philosophy. During the party's history it frequently allied itself with the National Party of Suriname (NPS) that historically represented the Afro-Surinamese community.
Chan Santokhi is the chairman of the party since 3 July 2011. The VHP is a multi-ethnic party and is primarily supported by Indo-Surinamese. Previous chairman Ram Sardjoe holds the title of honorary chairman. After the 2020 parliamentary elections, the Progressive Reform Party is the biggest political party in Suriname. Chan Santokhi became the new President of Suriname.[1]
The party has been part of seven government coalitions, in the periods of: 1958–1963 (5 years), 1963–1967 (4 years), 1969–1973 (4 years), 1987–1991 (4 years), 1991–1996 (5 years), 2000–2005 (5 years) and 2005–2010 (5 years); a total of 32 years. In 2020, the party formed a coalition government with the General Liberation and Development Party led by Ronnie Brunswijk, the new Vice President of Suriname.[2]
