~ Electoral reform a major issue ~
Roseau, Dominica--Dominicans gave a landslide victory to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s Dominica Labour Party (DLP) in Friday’s general elections.
Preliminary results show the DLP won 18 of the 21 seats at stake, with the other three going to the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) led by Lennox Linton.
In his victory speech Friday night, Prime Minister Skerrit announced that he will invite the UWP leader for early talks aimed at uniting the country after a bruising elections campaign which included some public demonstrations. He also disclosed plans to engage a prominent jurist to lead a commission on electoral reform which was a major issue during the election campaign.
The Prime Minister announced Sunday as a National Day of Peace, Prayer and Reconciliation for the nation.
A CARICOM Election Observation Mission monitored Friday’s Election Day activities, including the opening of the polls through to tabulation and announcement of the results. The Mission will issue a Preliminary Statement outlining its initial assessment of the electoral process. This will be followed by a detailed Independent Final Report which will be submitted to CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque.
