Dominica soon to implement new electoral reforms

Dominica: The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Roosevelt Skeritt, has announced that he has received the final report from Sir Dennis Byron following a review of their electoral system.

By
Amelia Jones
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Dennis Byron submits final report on Dominica's electoral system to PM Roosevelt Skerrit
Dennis Byron submits final report on Dominica's electoral system to PM Roosevelt Skerrit Image credit: Skerrit Facebook page

Dominica: The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Roosevelt Skeritt, has announced that he has received the final report from Sir Dennis Byron following a review of their electoral system.

The final report was received on Monday, June 12, 2023, and consists of the following: 

Phase 1 report, which includes a draft Regulation of Electors Bill 2023 and a draft Registration of Electors Bill 2023, and 

Phase 2 report consists of: ➢ The draft House of Assembly 

  • (Elections) Bill 2023 ➢ The draft House of Assembly (Electors) 
  • Regulations 2023 ➢ The draft House of Assembly Election 
  • Petition Rules 2023 ➢ The draft Electoral Commission Bill 2023.

In keeping with the Prime Minister’s commitment to make the report public and conduct stakeholder consultations, copies will be made available to Members of Parliament, political parties, NGOs, churches, media, youth groups, and other civil society organizations. 

The copies will be presented to stakeholders at a formal function on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at the State House Conference Center. The Government of Dominica will also organize a series of public consultations commencing in mid-July to receive feedback on the report and draft legislation.

Earlier in 2020, the government of Dominica sought the expertise of the reputable Caribbean Jurist to evaluate their electoral processes. Based on their assessment, the Caribbean Jurist provided recommendations for reform.

According to Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica had received significant technical support from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Commonwealth. The personalities from OAS visited Dominica to assist with the public consultations before the Bills were taken to Parliament.

PM Skerrit also assures the government of Dominica will make the process transparent so that it has always been, and we will see it through to the end. 

During the snap general elections in 2022, the Dominica Labour Party PM Skerrit pledged to improve the various aspects of the electoral process, including electoral reforms and voting. He said electoral reforms and voting are crucial issues to solve. 

PM Skerrit, there will be two essential fundamentals that need to be added in the electoral reforms:

  • Two, the verification process to address the issue of the voter list
  • One National ID cards