World IN BRIEF : SURINAME : Future Clouded by Pro-Army Voting

Big election gains by a pro-army party have clouded the former Dutch colony’s future and cast a shadow of uncertainty over its relations with the Netherlands. A coalition representing the East Indian, Creole and Indonesian minorities that make up most of the population of 360,000 in this republic on South America’s northeast coast won a majority in parliamentary elections on Saturday. But the coalition fell well short of the resounding majority it was seeking to forge closer ties with the Netherlands and set about curbing the power of the army, which has held the country in its grip for a decade.