DOMINICA | Opposition UWP to Boycott December 6 Elections

ROSEAU,  Dominica November 9, 2022 - Dominica’s opposition United Workers Party (UWP) says the country needs a clean voters list in order that the next election on December 6 can be viewed as free and fair.

In a statement, the UWP says in the absence of clean voters list, the party has decided not to participate in the December 6 general election because of concerns that the voters list is padded.

That party says Dominicans cannot be asked at this time to participate in another national election without meeting at least two basic election standards.

These are: a clean voters list reflecting the persons who can legally vote and National ID Cards that are available to all the legitimate voters. ”In the circumstances therefore, the United Workers Party has taken a decision not to participate in this fraudulent election,” the party said in a statement.

The UWP wants Dominica’s  President, Charles Savarin to revoke the calling of election by the Prime Minister. “We are convinced that the Electoral Reform as demanded by the Dominican population is needed to facilitate free and fair Elections in the Commonwealth of Dominica,” the UWP added.

The UWP notes that the Caribbean Court of Justice has said in a written judgement that there remains areas of grave concerns about how the process of the 2019 General Elections was conducted.

That party notes that the CCJ says that future Elections in Dominica ought not to proceed with these or similar taints.

At the end of the 2019 General Elections, former CCJ President Justice Sir Dennis Byron was hired as the sole Commissioner to present the necessary amendments to Dominica’s laws to Reform the Electoral Process. 

 Over the past months, the UWP said it has been in constant dialogue with Sir Byron who informed the Party of his intentions to expedite the presentation of his recommendations.  

At present, the party is being led by the  Deputy Political Leader Senator Francisca Joseph, who assumed the duties of Political Leader of the Party consequent upon the resignation of the party's political Leader Lennox Linton on Monday October 3.

“My resignation from the post of Political Leader of the United Workers’ Party emerges from the national yearning for change that is a must,” he said via a Facebook live.  

Linton, who also serves as the Leader of Opposition in the House of Assembly since 2014, became the political leader of the UWP in 2013.  During his tenure, he led the party to contest two general elections in 2014 and 2019 both times failing to bring the party to victory over the incumbent Dominica Labour Party. 

 Mr. Skerrit last Sunday announced the date for the polls, three years after he led the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) to a convincing 18-3 victory in the general election of 2019.

On Sunday, the sole Commissioner on electoral reform in Dominica, Sir Dennis Byron, had proposed presenting the first phase of his report by the end of November with the Parliament tabling the Register of Electors legislation in December. The plan was to enact it in January 2023.

In 2019 the Dominica Labour Party (DLP) led by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit won an unprecedented fifth consecutive term, including four under his premiership. The DLP won 18 seats with the UWP winning the remaining three seats.