Suriname Presidential Candidate Aims to Emulate El Salvador with Bitcoin Legal Tender

A Suriname presidential candidate, Maya Parbhoe, has expressed her desire to follow El Salvador's footsteps by granting Bitcoin (BTC) legal tender status if she is elected.

Parbhoe's vision is to replace the Surinamese dollar with Bitcoin, inspired by El Salvador's example, which she believes offers hope for the future.

Suriname's Potential Bitcoin Transformation

El Salvador remains the only country to have made Bitcoin legal tender, despite other governments considering similar moves without taking concrete steps.

Recently, Argentine officials have engaged in discussions with their Salvadoran counterparts regarding BTC adoption.

In an interview with Bitcoin Beach's Mike Peterson, Parbhoe praised El Salvador and its President Nayib Bukele for demonstrating the possibility of standing up to global powers. She stated:

"President Bukele showed that by adopting BTC as legal tender, he could resist global influences and prioritize his country's best interests. El Salvador gives us hope for the future."

Bitcoin Beach focuses on BTC adoption in the Salvadoran village of El Zonte, and many believe it influenced Bukele's decision to adopt Bitcoin.

Parbhoe aims to secure a victory in Suriname's 2025 elections, with a clear goal of replacing the Surinamese dollar (SRD) with Bitcoin. Like Argentina's President Javier Milei before his election, she wants to "simply eliminate" the SRD.

A Shift from Fiat to Bitcoin

While Milei's plans involved dollarizing Argentina's economy, Parbhoe envisions replacing fiat currency with Bitcoin in Suriname.

She argues there is "no reason why" Suriname cannot substitute the SRD with BTC, describing Bitcoin adoption as a means to build a new economic system in the country.

El Salvador officially adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021, following Bukele's announcement. Parbhoe pointed out that decades of poor financial management in Suriname have provided numerous lessons on what not to do economically.

The country's public spending and fiscal deficit relative to GDP have surged, alongside rampant corruption. Suriname has also faced significant inflation in recent years.

Drawing Parallels with El Salvador

Parbhoe highlighted similarities between Suriname and El Salvador, noting their small sizes and proximity—only 3,766 km apart. She emphasized Suriname's small population of 600,000 and her plans to diversify the economy through innovation and position the country as a global tech leader.

On social media platform X, Parbhoe expresses her mission to "color the world orange," referring to Bitcoin's unofficial color. She also believes that Suriname's high IT literacy and connectivity make it an ideal candidate for Bitcoin adoption.

In addition to making BTC legal tender, Bukele's government has purchased Bitcoin with state funds, accumulating at least 5,000 BTC. Bukele claims these funds are stored in cold wallets within a physical vault on Salvadoran territory.