Politics
Dominica: Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and his DLP party re-elected
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit (pictured), won a third consecutive term in office yesterday after his ruling Dominica Labor Party (DLP) won its fourth consecutive 5-year term in power, withstanding a strong challenge from the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP).
Preliminary results show that the DLP had won 15 of the 21 seats in the general election, with the UWP, which had won 3 seats in 2009, doubling its tally to 6.
Skerrit, who comfortably won his Vielle Case riding, will have to do without his Information Minister and DLP deputy leader, Ambrose George, who lost to newcomer, attorney Joshua Francis, while Health Minister Julius Timothy lost to Danny Lugay.
UWP leader, Lennox Linton, who had predicted that his party would win 15 seats in the election, easily won the Marigot riding which he took over from the country’s former prime minister Edison James.
In a radio and television address soon after it became apparent that the DLP had won the election, Skerrit appealed for unity in building the country after the 6-week campaign.
“I accept the will and verdict of the people,” Skerrit said, after he watched his 18-3 majority in the last Parliament dwindle to 15-6.
Skerrit congratulated Linton on entering the new Parliament, saying the outcome of the polls showed that the island-nation had become a mature democracy.
Skerrit said he wanted to thank Dominicans for conducting themselves properly throughout the campaign. In his address, Skerrit said that the DLP victory had “refuted the simplistic argument that democracy is about giving parties two or three bites of the cherry and then send them home packing.”
“The truth is, that in any country, especially in developing countries, a party that consistently delivers on its promises and takes the country along a clear path of development can win a fourth consecutive term. Tonight we can celebrate the fact that Dominicans will continue to enjoy the rise in standard of living and quality of life as we had been doing since 2000.”
Skerrit said that he was delighted that the population had studied his party’s achievements in office and that every national had benefited from the socio-economic policies of his administration.
“I am sure this is your way of showing gratitude, this is why you have decided to give us the new mandate to continue to deliver the very many realistic promises we made to you in the manifesto,” he said, adding the manifesto had been drawn up “not just to win the election but also to serve as a manual to guide our governance of Dominica during the next 5 years.”
Skerrit said that the composition of his new administration would be announced at a later date. -(CMC)