Chandrikapersad Santokhi was born on the 3rd of February 1959, in the District of Suriname, in the Republic of Suriname. In 1978, at the age of 19, he enrolled in the Dutch Police Academy in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. After graduating from the Police Academy in 1982, he joined the Surinamese Police Force and functioned in the rank of Police Commissioner.

In 2005, he was appointed Minister of Justice and Police of the Republic of Suriname, where he held office till August 2010. In July 2010, he was bestowed with the State decoration of “Great Officer of the Yellow Star”.

In December 2010, Chandrikapersad Santokhi was unanimously elected as Chair of the CICAD for the period 2010-2011. (CICAD is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States, that coordinates the drug policy of the Western Hemisphere). In July 2011, he was elected as Chairman of the ‘Vooruitstrevende Hervormings Partij – VHP (Progressive Reform Party)’. In May 2020, Santokhi led his political party to its historically biggest victory, winning 20 of the 51 seats in the National Assembly. On 16 July, 2020, he was sworn into office as the 9th President of Suriname.