The United Workers Party of Saint Lucia stands in solidarity with the United Workers Party in the Commonwealth of Dominica in its decision to boycott the general election called on 6th December 2022 by PM Roosevelt Skerrit, despite the fact that Election Reform is needed to facilitate free and fair elections.
Prime Minister Skerrit has completely disregarded the will of the people with the announcement of snap elections before electoral standards have been put in place.
Sir Dennis Byron, former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), had been tasked with preparing a report on Dominica’s electoral reform, which the Prime Minister promised to table in Parliament.
Recently, Byron had written to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, as well as the Opposition Leader, Lennox Linton, indicating that he was “working towards expediting the presentation of my Recommendations for the improvement of the Electoral Process in the Commonwealth of Dominica”.
Despite this, the government of Dominica has reneged on the promise of election reform which stood as a priority to the people of Dominica during the last election.
Although a schedule of timelines for the improvement to the electoral process, the draft Registration of Electors Bill and draft Registration of Electors Regulations, are with both the government and Opposition for review the government has chosen to subject the people of Dominica to the same inadequate and unjust electoral processes that existed in the last election and to which Dominicans raised strong objection. Without the promised electoral reform, aren’t Dominicas being deprived of their democratic right to due process and fair elections ?
We support and encourage the Dominica Opposition United Workers Party’s to stand firm in its commitment to ensuring the electoral process meets election standards.
Anything less is than firm adherence to the tenets of a well functioning democracy is regressive. It is imperative that our region continues to strengthen its democracy.
SOURCE: United Workers Party
