Parliamentary democracy of Dominica
The Dominica Labor Party (DLP) has been governing Dominica since 2000. As Dominica is a parliamentary democracy, majority in the legislature is a prerequisite to rule. DLP enjoys brute majority in Dominican legislature known as the House of Assembly. While the nation is committed to democratic governance and civil liberties are upheld in general, many concerns persist; these include judicial efficiency, effective management of elections, and government corruption—particularly relating to the nation’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program.
Ceremonial head of state, the president, is nominated by the PM and opposition leader and elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term. The head of government is the PM, an elected member of the House of Assembly commanding the support of the majority of its elected members. PM is appointed by the president. Other ministers of government are also appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister.
House of Assembly has 30 members plus the Speaker and Attorney-General. There are 21 directly elected members and nine appointed by the President. Five of the members appointed by the president are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister and rest four on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition. Elections are held at least once every five years, with universal adult suffrage.
The ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) returned to power via general election held on 6th December 2022. Results released by the Electoral Office showed that the Dominica Labour Party, which had gone into the election already having won six seats uncontested, won 19 of the 21 seats. Two independent candidates won too.
PM Roosevelt Skerrit, 50, who has been in office since 2004 and was one of the six DLP candidates elected to Parliament before even a ballot was cast, said he welcomed the result of the polls. “I accept this victory from the people of Dominica with the greatest humility. This is an extra ordinary confidence that the people have shown in us,” Skerrit said, adding the voter turnout was “exceptional”.
The elections were regarded as peaceful and orderly by election monitors. However, two leading opposition parties, the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) and the United Workers’ Party (UWP), together with the smaller Alternative Peoples’ Party (APP), boycotted the elections, citing the government’s failure to make headway on enacting electoral reforms. The opposition parties had been demanding electoral reform, including a clean voters list and identification cards before the conduct of the poll.