Missions that were invited to Dominica to observe the December 6 general election have generally given the island high marks for the peaceful manner the polls were conducted but the much talked about issue of electoral reform was also a common subject in preliminary reports that have been released.
Missions from the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Organization of American States (OAS) and CARICOM were on the island to observe the snap election which was called by Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit on November 6.
According to the missions, polling day went well and the results reflect the will of those who cast their ballots.
“The findings of the Group’s observation concluded that election day and the pre-election atmosphere were largely peaceful and voters were free to exercise their franchise, the results of which are a collective will of those who voted,” the Commonwealth Secretariat stated in its report. “It is the Group’s hope and expectation that the peaceful atmosphere that characterized Election Day will prevail. All Dominicans, especially political parties, candidates, and their supporters, are encouraged to continue to show magnanimity and uphold their commitments to peace, in a spirit of national unity and solidarity.”
In it’s report, the CARICOM mission said “a level of calm” was observed on polling day.
“Adequate police security was in place at all locations visited, with officials conducting their duties in a professional and efficient manner,” the report stated. “This likely contributed to the level of calm which accompanied the day’s activities.”
The report went on to say, “The initial assessment of Election Day activities by the CEOM (CARICOM Election Observation Mission) is that the voters were able to cast their ballots without intimidation or fear, and that, in all material respects, the results of the December 6, 2022, General Elections are an accurate reflection of the collective intention of the voters who casted their votes on polling day.”
The OAS team’s report pointed to what it described as “very strong rhetoric” which it said was made by “some elements of the opposition” on radio and social media, “with multiple calls for protests and civil disobedience.”
“Some of this rhetoric was directed specifically at the international election observation missions which had been invited to deploy to Dominica, particularly the Commonwealth Observer Group,” the report said. “While several protest rallies took place in the weeks prior to the polls, the promised acts of disruption, disobedience and obstruction to the work of the observation missions did not eventually materialise.”
The OAS team visited 156 polling stations across the island on election day and the report stated that the electoral process “was conducted in an orderly and peaceful manner.”
The subject of electoral reform did not go unnoticed by the observer missions. The matter had been the center of political discourse in Dominica prior to the election but intensified, especially among opposition forces, after polling day was announced.
The OAS mission said it was the primary interest of stakeholders in the election and although it has been discussed for years, efforts for furthering the process of electoral reform has not been successful.
“Since 2015, Dominica has been engaged in a national discussion on matters related to its electoral framework, such as the modernization of the Voters’ List, the issuance of voter identification cards and voting by members of the Dominican diaspora, among others,” the mission’s report stated. “There have been several efforts over the years to prepare proposals and/or legislation that would lead to a modernized electoral system and process for Dominica, including initiatives by the government, legislative drafting support from the Commonwealth Secretariat and proposals by a Joint CARICOM/Commonwealth-OAS Mission on electoral reform, which visited Dominica in August 2019 on the invitation of the government. These efforts were all largely unsuccessful in furthering the process of electoral reform.”
It also said Dominica must urgently implement modernization of it electoral framework for future elections.
“The OAS Mission notes this is an urgent priority to implement the long-discussed modernization of Dominica’s electoral framework and to ensure the country’s continued social and political progress. It is clear that Dominica cannot proceed to another election under the current rules,” the report said. “It will therefore be essential to have a new electoral framework in place before the next poll.”
In it’s report, the Commonwealth mission wrote, “The Group noted that while wholly consistent with the Constitution, the announcement of the snap elections on 6 November created certain challenges for some stakeholders with opposition parties taking the decision to boycott the elections, due to the alleged lack of progress on electoral reform.”
The CARICOM mission said despite the result of the election, it hopes the matter will be addressed by the new government.
“Notwithstanding the results however, it is the hope of the CEOM that the newly elected Government will continue and build on the efforts to date, to secure electoral reform for future elections in Dominica,” it’s report stated.
Low voter turn out was mentioned in at least one of the reports that have been released.
“The Mission also observed overall that there was a low voter turnout. This may have been attributed, in part, to the Prime Minister’s call of a snap election and the Opposition’s decision not to participate in the polls,” the CARICOM reported said.
Final and comprehensive reports are expected from the CARICOM and the Commonwealth Secretariat at a later date.
Stop all your propaganda and rhetoric! What we really want is some certified figures, i.e. voter turnout in %, total valid votes, total invalid votes, registered voters. Where are these figures? Why do we have to ask for them? Didn’t you get paid to publish these figures????
All that money spent and a net gein of only 1 seat.
What a waste.
The prime minister has no respect for the post that he holds, and is openly thumbing his nose at the Dominican public.
He thinks they’re stupid, and treating them as such.
He doesn’t think they’re stupid, they ARE stupid. I’m beyond embarrassed to call myself a Dominican at this point. How else did we get to this point of not for the stupidity of Dominican citizens? It takes 2 hands to clap after all
They do not support you, so, they are more horse manure. Man, get a life.
These three organisations ( Commonwealth, OAS, CARICOM) have had little or no success in bringing much needed relief to the suffering Caribbean people.
Let’s look at our economic, national security and good governance aspects of our daily life in this region of the world.
ECONOMY: The economies of all these countries have been in the doldrums forever. Unemployment, hunger and poverty have continued to dog Caribbean people from cradle to grave.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Homicides, violence, corruption in high places, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, police brutality are more prevalent than ever before in this once most peaceful region of the world.
GOOD GOVERNANCE: This is nonexistence in the Caribbean today. The rule of law, transparency and integrity in government, equity and inclusiveness are only myths in this region.
These three organisations are failures by using any instrument of assessment. They deserve our collective ire.
More Horse Manure.
If we are talking statistics, how about the following:
2022 Sham Election: 87% labor votes x 30% voter participation = 26% of the eligible voting population.
The current DLP administration came into office through a SHAM election in which <30% of eligible voters cast ballots in DLP's favor. This incoming illegal DLP administration was placed on the backs of Dominicans by minority of voters.
Voters in six constituencies were deprived of their rights.