UWP expresses concerns over allegations of “snap election”

MEDIA STATEMENT

Roseau, Dominica, October 28, 2024 – We, the concerned citizens and defenders of
democracy in Dominica, stand alarmed and appalled by the intention of Prime Minister
Roosevelt Skerrit called yet another snap election in Dominica without implementing the
critical electoral reforms required to ensure free and fair elections.
While the United Workers Party is anxious about fresh elections with an untainted electoral process at the earliest opportunity, there is no need for another election without electoral reform. We dismiss as a most savage insult to the sensibilities of the people of Dominica, Skerrit’s suggestion that his intention to call a snap election is justified by widespread recognition and appreciation of his administration’s work. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Skerrit’s so-called reset Cabinet which emerged from the snap election of 2022, brought greater hardship and misery to the people of Dominica:
 The leader of the reset cabinet boasted that Dominica spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year employing foreigners in construction and other areas while Dominicans stand aside and look.
 Unemployment increased and working poor people were burdened with higher prices for food, clothing, shelter, water, lights, and phone communication.

 The growth engines of the economy – agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, and services – are either in decline or at a standstill.
 Healthcare standards have declined dramatically under the pressures of inadequate medical supplies and dysfunctional hospital management systems.
 The reset was a serial killer of the hopes and dreams of young people. Yet the reset ministers of government received hefty salary increases of between 2,300 and 4,000 dollars monthly while thousands of public servants received not one red cent more on their meager wages and salaries.
 The reset confirmed that Skerrit’s passport-selling deal with Anthony Haiden of MMCE has forced the Government into a situation where it is now receiving less than 10 percent of Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) revenues while Haiden controls over 90 percent of this money that belongs to the people of Dominica.
 Reduced to begging Haiden for Dominica’s CBI money to do business with Dominica, Skerrit is threatening to stop the National Employment Program (NEP), Yes We Care, and other social assistance programs.

There is no question that the people of Dominica want a change from this unacceptable state of affairs and in strict obedience to the constitutional rule of law, they have pressed
ahead with civil approaches to securing free and fair elections with integrity as the
the backbone of the government of the people, by the people, for the people.
For over 16 years, Dominicans have demanded and patiently waited for these reforms,
which Skerrit believes will undermine his legacy of stolen elections. Accordingly, he has
relentlessly frustrated access to this fundamental right, thereby fueling an atmosphere
of unrest and mounting frustration among the people.

Electoral reform is not a partisan issue; it is about the legitimate expectation of the people given their right to a fair, transparent, and just electoral process. Regrettably, Skerrit has used his position as the head of government to compromise the work of the independent Electoral Commission (EC) by derailing the implementation of reform recommendations from local election officials, election observer missions, and international election management bodies. repeatedly dismissed. As a result of his unconstitutional direction and control of the EC, the taints on the electoral process in respect of which Dominica was admonished in a July 2022 judgment of the Caribbean Court of Justice, have not been addressed:
“…there remain areas of grave concern about how the process of these (2019)
elections were conducted. Future Elections in Dominica ought not to proceed
with these or similar taints…”
That admonition from our apex court was echoed by the OAS Observer Mission at the
2022 snap election called more than two years before the end of the 5-year term:

“It is clear that Dominica cannot proceed to another election under the current
rules. It will therefore be essential to have a new electoral framework in place
before the next poll.
This ongoing denial undermines the integrity of Dominica’s democracy and places the
nation’s stability at grave risk.
The absence of electoral reform has already strained the social fabric of Dominica, and
Skerrit’s intention to proceed with yet another untransparent election may, as the CCJ
has warned, leading to civil unrest, riots, and even revolt.
“… without such free and fair elections, the value of the creation and maintenance of and respect for lawfully constituted authority would be fatally undermined. The consequences of such a denial, that a reflection on Caribbean history demonstrates include, loss of legitimacy, public unrest, and even revolt. In contemporary terms, free and fair elections are so fundamental to the democratic way of life, that without it the very legitimacy and sovereignty of the constitutional state is brought into question…”
This is not a threat but a real consequence that history has shown accompanies
prolonged political repression. The people of Dominica deserve leaders who prioritize
democratic principles, who protect rather than undermine their rights, and who value the
mandate of the people above personal ambition.

We call on the government to take immediate legislative action for the implementation of the necessary reforms to ensure that Dominica’s electoral system is truly free, and fair, and
election results are reflective of the will of the people. These changes are crucial to restoring public trust in the electoral process and preventing Dominica from descending
further into division and instability.
The world is watching. We urge Roosevelt Skerrit to choose the path of democracy,
integrity, and justice for the people of Dominica and to heed the calls for a transparent
and credible electoral process. Failure to act now will lead to consequences for which
this administration will be held accountable.