Suriname elects on the national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college based on the parliament. The National Assembly has 51 members, elected every five years by proportional representation per district. Suriname has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.