ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Former opposition leader, Jesma Paul-Victor, has been re-appointed to the position, more than 18 months after Dominica was without a person in the post.
Paul-Victor, the parliamentary representative for the west coast village of Salisbury, had resigned on June 20, 2024, and since then, the island has been without a functioning opposition leader.
Jesma Paul-Victor (File Photo)
The state-owned DBS Radio reported Monday that the position had remained vacant after Paul-Victor and the other opposition independent member, Anthony Charles, could not agree on the way forward.
But DBS said that Charles has since said he has decided to throw his support behind Paul Victor, who had previously served for two years, and that a letter with his signature has since been sent to the Office of the President, Sylvanie Burton, and that Paul Victor is expected to be sworn in this week.
“Jesma and I have decided to solve the constitutional crisis that has been going on for a year. We have solved it,” Charles told DBS Radio, adding, “this is not a Jesma and Tony thing.
“This is for the greater good of Dominica. We have solved it. Let’s not talk about unity; let’s focus on improving our country as best we can. It’s as simple as that. : Let’s be united and move forward with our country,” he told DBS Radio.
Last year, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said that the non-appointment of an opposition leader “is not a crisis,” even as he acknowledged that the holder of the post has specific constitutional responsibilities.
“They are not issues that can prevent the state from functioning or the Parliament from functioning. It is always better and desirable that there is an opposition leader in office, and for me, I would like to have an opposition leader in office,” he added.
In the December 6, 2022, snap general elections, Skerrit led the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) to a convincing victory, even as Paul-Victor and Charles, who contested as independent candidates, won constituencies in the 21-seat Parliament following a boycott by the main opposition political parties.
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