CHAPTER XX. THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Article 157
- The structure of the administrative organs of government shall be such that they can bring their services close to the people in order to assure the participation of those concerned with what is happening and in order to avoid bureaucratism.
- Suitable forms of administrative decentralization shall be created by law, taking efficiency into consideration and without diminishing the unity of action or the powers of the Government to give guidance and to exercise supervision.
- Administrative procedures shall be created by law, which will ensure the rationality of the methods used by the ministerial departments, as well as the participation of the citizens in the process of decision making or in the debates that concern them.
Article 158
- Everyone shall have the right to be informed by the organs of government administration on the advancement in the handling of cases in which he has a direct interest and on measures taken with regard to him.
- Interested parties shall have the right to submit to the court for reassessment any final and enforceable act by agencies of public administration, which is believed to be unlawful.
- In disciplinary procedures the right of interested parties to reply shall be guaranteed.
CHAPTER XXI. THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS
First Section. IN GENERAL
Article 159
The democratic order of the Republic of Suriname comprises inferior government organs on the regional level, whose function, organization, competence and operation mode shall be regulated by law in accordance with the principles of participatory democracy and decentralization of administration and legislation.
Second Section. DEMARCATION OF THE TERRITORY
Article 160
- The partitioning of the Territory into districts and of districts into departments shall be regulated by law. The following criteria shall apply for the partitioning in districts and departments: o the concentration of the population; o the potential for development; o the feasibility of administering the territory; o the availability of infrastructure; o the location of the center of administration.
- The boundaries of the districts are the boundaries indicated in the decree “Districtenindeling 1983″ (S.B. 1983 Nr. 24).
Third Section. REGIONAL REPRESENTATION
Article 161
- There are two representative bodies on the regional level: the district councils and the local councils.
- The district council is the supreme political-administrative organ of the district.
- The local council is the supreme political-administrative institution of the administrative jurisdiction.
Article 162. DISTRICT COUNCILS
The composition of the district councils shall be established after general, free and secret elections in the administrative jurisdiction of the district concerned. The seats in the district council are given to the representative political organizations with a seat in the local councils of the district concerned, in proportion to the total number of seats they acquired in the local councils.
Article 163. LOCAL COUNCILS
The composition of the local councils takes place after general, free and secret elective franchise within the administrative jurisdiction. The order of election of the representatives is determined by the counting order of received personal votes. All available seats shall be so granted. Without prejudice to other legal requirements with regard to eligibility in representative bodies, the candidates for a local council or a district council shall have their main and real residence in the district or administrative jurisdiction.
Fourth Section. JURISDICTION
Article 164
The regional representative bodes and the regional administrative organs participate in the preparation, creation and the execution of the plans for district and administrative jurisdictions. Other specific tasks shall be regulated by law.
Article 165
The financial provisions for the districts and administrative jurisdictions shall be determined by law; they envisage among other things to promote the reasonable and equitable division of funds in the districts.
Article 166
The Government exercises supervision over the districts, in the manner and in the cases provided by law.
Fifth Section. PROCEDURES
Article 167
The district councils and local councils express the will and the aspiration of the inhabitants. The district councils shall manifest those to the National Assembly, whereas the local councils shall do so to the district councils.
The district councils shall be bound to inform the local councils about measures taken or opinions that are held, which concern the local councils. This obligation shall also apply to local councils in relation to the district council.
Article 168
- The opportunity shall be granted to the elected district representatives to participate in the formulation and the creation of the national and regional development policy.
- The district council shall have the power to delegate its representatives to participate in the development council for the national development.
- The district councils shall have the power to forward proposals that concern their own district for further treatment to the ministerial departments concerned.
