PRESS RELEASE
On Monday 16th December 2024 Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit tabled three Electoral Reform Bills in the parliament. His determination to proceed with the introduction of the bills amidst protest and widespread dissatisfaction; as well as the planned second and third readings of the said bills without adequately addressing the most vexing issues raised by the ERC and civil society organizations can be considered an abuse of power and authority on the Prime Minister’s part. It also demonstrates blatant disrespect, insult, and provocation of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Several critical issues of the long-awaited Electoral Reform were left out of the bill. Among them, campaign financing, biometric data as part of the voter identification card, on-island and in-person re-registration of voters, and access to state-owned media were among the recommendations omitted. The bills largely ignore many of the recommendations made by Sir Dennis Byron and civil society organizations and as presented by the Dominica Business Forum Inc. and subsequently by the ERC. The bill also includes several clauses that can
already be considered as loopholes in the law deliberately inserted to legitimize unfair elections With a 19 to 2 parliamentary majority in favor of the Dominica Labour Party Government, the government must be prevented by all costs from tabling in parliament these bills which have not been approved by the citizenry.
It is therefore necessary and reasonable that the public be listened to and our recommendations which have been put forward in the last 15 years be included in the final bill. The ERC urges the public to stand ready to reject any bill in total or part that will legalize the stealing of elections and demand comprehensive reform in favor of free and fair elections in Dominica not only for the next scheduled general elections but for all elections of the future.
Since Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has promised to invite the OAS, Caricom, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the European Union to witness his latest act of betrayal of the Dominican people, the ERC has decided to formally inform the international community of this volatile situation. The ERC resolved that the bills are unacceptable in their present form and unless they are reviewed and amended as necessary the struggle for electoral reform will continue unabated.
During January 2025, the ERC will upscale its activities to sensitize and educate the nation on the reasons why the electoral reform bills tabled in parliament are unacceptable and how they must join the movement to demand what has been proposed and is acceptable.
The Electoral Reform Coalition (ERC) reiterates its position that any electoral reform bill that does not adequately address the vexing issues of Campaign Financing, complete voter re-registration, cleansing of the electors list, voter identification cards with biometric data; unambiguous residency qualification for voters, among other relevant concerns, will be considered unacceptable and will further intensify the campaign for genuine electoral reform that results in free and fair elections.