By: Staff Writer
November 11, 2022
The United Workers Party in Dominica will boycott the upcoming December 6 elections, citing pre-election irregularities.
The UWP, in a statement to the media said that they were disappointed and dismayed by “the pronouncement by the Prime Minister to hold a ‘snap’ General Election on December 6, 2022. This call for national elections is seen as an outrage to all Dominicans, especially the residents of the East of the country who were reeling under the impact of a natural disaster.”
Two issues the UWP cites two basic standards needed to be met for the upcoming election and that is a clean Voters List reflecting the persons who can legally vote; and National ID Cards available to all the legitimate voters. Without these matters being resolved they are sitting out the upcoming general election.
Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister, has dismissed their calls over irregularities as their just making excuses because they cannot field a full slate for the December 6 date.
There are 21 seats up for grabs in this upcoming election, Skerrit’s party, the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has 18 of the seats current occupied in parliament to the UWP’s 3. A no show could mean a whitewash of the UWP from the political landscape of Dominica.
The UWP has undergone a late stage leadership change earlier this year, replacing longstanding leader of the opposition, Lennox Linton, with the party’s deputy leader Francisca Joseph.
Mr Skerrit also cited the UWP’s internal fighting and lack of a clear understanding of who its leader is as a primary reason for them wanting to funk out of the upcoming election after having called for elections to be called in the country for the better part of the last two years.
The UWP’s statement also said: “The Caribbean Court of Justice, the APEX court of this country, in a written Decision that in its opinion “…there remains areas of grave concerns about how the process of these elections (2019 General Elections) was conducted. Future Elections in Dominica ought not to proceed with these or similar taints…”
“At the end of the 2019 General Elections, the Imminent Jurist, Justice Sir Dennis Byron was engaged by Skerrit’s Cabinet as a sole Commissioner to present the necessary amendments to our laws to Reform the Electoral Process. Over the past months, the United Workers Party has been in constant dialogue with Sir Byron who informed the Party of his intentions to expedite the presentation of his recommendations. Since Mr. Skerrit has another two and a half years remaining on his current mandate as Prime Minister and sufficient time to implement the long-awaited reform of the electoral process, then there are no justifiable reasons why he should be calling a “Snap Election” other than an abuse of power.
“In the circumstances therefore, the United Workers Party has taken a decision not to participate in this fraudulent Election and therefore calls on His Excellency Charles A. Savarin, the President of the Commonwealth of Dominica 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.”
Mr Skerrit does not mind running unopposed if the UWP does not show up for the nomination day this coming November 18. He has held power since 2004 and is now going for his fourth consecutive victory in the upcoming general elections.