Introduction
Jennifer "Jenny" Simons, married Geerlings (born 5 September 1953 in Paramaribo) is a Surinamese politician. On June 30, 2010 she was elected as Chairperson of the National Assembly of Suriname with 26 out of 50 votes. Simons is the second female chairman of the Surinamese Parliament. She was re-elected on 30 June 2015.
Simons was first elected as a member of the National Assembly in 1996, representing the district of Paramaribo. She served as one of the vice-chairpersons of the National Democratic Party, which was founded by former leader Dési Bouterse. She was leader of the parliamentary fraction from 2000 until 2006.
In April 2012, Simons was accused by the opposition in the parliament of dictatorial behaviour because of her decision to forbid members of the parliament from referring to the amnesty law of April 2012 during a debate on the anti-stalking law.
Personal background
Family
On June 29, 1981, Simons married Glenn Geerlings. They have 3 children: Edward, Jonathan and Naomi. Simons is a dermatologist.