DOMINICA-ERC calls for protest action as government tables electoral reform legislation

ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC -Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit will only enact legislation allowing for “the effective operation of the Electoral Commission” and a bill to make new provisions for the lector registration on Monday next week. A government said that, in addition, Skerrit will present legislation for a first reading only to provide for the election of members to the House of Assembly.

However, the Electoral Reform Coalition (ERC) expressed disappointment that, after “almost two decades of demanding electoral reform,” the government is proceeding to take the electoral reform bills to parliament “without proper public notice and scrutiny.”

The ERC said the Electoral Commission’s recommendations were kept private to inform the population whether their demands were met.

As a result, the ERC said it demands that the Electoral Commission make publicly “immediately” the recommendations sent to the government public and that the makes the legislation being presented to parliament “more accessible to the general public.”

The ERC said it encourages constituents to persuade their parliamentary representatives to support the electoral reform process for free and fair elections. It plans a “virtual rally rally” for Saturday “to discuss the volatile situation.”

In addition, the ERC said it is “strongly” urging citizens “to make their presence felt outside of parliament on Monday …to register their concern for genuine electoral reform to provide for free and fair elections.
” The public sector, private sector, civil society organizations, and citizens at home and abroad are encouraged to display their support for the cause of electoral reform,” the ERC said, adding that it is “appealing to all to raise their voices in this eleventh hour to demand that the government allows …our right to genuine electoral reform which should lead to Free and Fair Elections”.

In May, the government said it had provided the Electoral Commission (EC) with copies of the proposed electoral modernization legislation as part of the electoral reform process.

It said that the submission to the Electoral Commission follows extensive public debates, discussions, written recommendations from individuals and entities, and prolonged government-initiated electoral reform consultation.

The government said that copies of the proposed legislation have also been provided to President Sylvanie Burton and will be published on the government website and other media platforms for public review.

In June last year, Sir Dennis Byron, the former president of the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), submitted a report on electoral reform to the Dominica government.

Sir Dennis had been the sole commissioner advancing the efforts towards electoral reform, a significant issue here with the opposition parties, the United Workers Party (UWP) and the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) boycotting the last general election.

The boycott led to the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) securing 19 21 seats, with the remainder going to independent candidates.