Dominican general election, 2005
Encyclopedia
The 2005 Dominican General election was held in Dominica
on 5 May 2005. After a hard campaign the Dominica Labour Party
was re-elected winning a majority of seats. The opposition United Workers' Party
unsuccessfully made legal challenges to several of the constituency results.
the ruling United Workers' Party won one fewer seats than the Dominica Labour Party. As a result the Dominica Labour Party with 10 seats was able to form a coalition government
with the Dominica Freedom Party
who had won 2 seats. In 2004 the Prime Minister of Dominica
, Pierre Charles
, died and his education minister
Roosevelt Skerrit
succeeded him.
, 2 from the Dominica Freedom Party
and 2 independent
candidates. 66,000 voters were registered to vote in the election at 249 polling station
s spread over the 21 constituencies
.
Major elections issues included an International Monetary Fund
austerity economic plan for Dominica and the Dominica Labour Party governments' decision to switch recognition from the Republic of China
to the People's Republic of China
.
On the Monday before the election, there was an incident when motorcade
s for the two main parties collided with each other. No major injuries resulted and rallies for each party were held afterwards. The police then refused either party permission to hold motorcades on the day before the election.
The campaign was judged as being particularly long and divisive, with the election seen as very close and likely to come down to voter turnout
. A poll in February predicted that the United Workers' Party would win 12 seats, compared to 7 for the Dominica Labour Party and 2 for the Dominica Freedom Party. However another poll in March had the Dominica Labour Party winning 12 seats, the United Workers' Party 7 seats and the Dominica Freedom Party 2 seats.
lost both of their seats. It was the first election in 35 years where the Dominica Freedom Party—the governing party of Eugenia Charles
from 1980 to 1995—did not win any seats. Prime Minister Skerrit announced that the day after the election would be a national holiday
and called for Dominica to unite behind the government after the election.
, Soufriere
, Mahaut
, St Joseph and Carib Territory
alleging that there were problems with the counts and that the results were rigged by the government. Initial counts in the Castle Bruce constituency had the United Workers' Party candidate ahead but the final result saw the Dominica Labour Party win by one vote. Opposition supporters protested the results outside of the government headquarters in Roseau
. On the 28 October 2005 the legal challenges were dismissed by a High Court Justice, Hugh Rawlins. The appeals court also rejected the lawsuit in April 2006 and the United Workers' Party then dropped the challenges.
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
on 5 May 2005. After a hard campaign the Dominica Labour Party
Dominica Labour Party
The Dominica Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Dominica.-History:Founded in 1955 by Phyllis Shand Allfrey and Emmanuel Christopher Loblack, it is the oldest political party in Dominica. It first contested general elections in 1961, winning seven of the eleven seats. In the next...
was re-elected winning a majority of seats. The opposition United Workers' Party
United Workers' Party (Dominica)
The United Workers' Party is a centrist political party in Dominica. As of the 2009 general election, it is the only opposition party represented in the House of Assembly of Dominica, holding three of the twenty-one seats...
unsuccessfully made legal challenges to several of the constituency results.
Background
In the previous 2000 general electionDominican general election, 2000
General elections were held in Dominica on 31 January 2000 and saw the Dominica Labour Party led by Rosie Douglas take power defeating the previous government of the United Workers' Party led by Edison James, despite the UWP receiving more votes. The DLP won 10 seats, the UWP 9 seats and the...
the ruling United Workers' Party won one fewer seats than the Dominica Labour Party. As a result the Dominica Labour Party with 10 seats was able to form a coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
with the Dominica Freedom Party
Dominica Freedom Party
The Dominica Freedom Party is a conservative political party in Dominica.The party lost all of its seats in the House of Assembly at 2005 general election, held on 5 May 2005. This was the first time since 1975 that the DFP was not elected in any seats...
who had won 2 seats. In 2004 the Prime Minister of Dominica
Prime Minister of Dominica
The Prime Minister of Dominica is the head of government in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Nominally, the position was created on November 3, 1978 when Dominica gained independence from the United Kingdom...
, Pierre Charles
Pierre Charles
Pierre Charles was Prime Minister of Dominica from 2000 to 2004 as well as Member of Parliament for Grand Bay, Dominica from 1985 until his death. He was born in Grand Bay in Saint Patrick parish. He began his high school education at the Dominica Grammar School and completed it at the St...
, died and his education minister
Education minister
An education minister is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters.-Country-related articles and lists:Minister of Education may refer to:...
Roosevelt Skerrit
Roosevelt Skerrit
Roosevelt Skerrit is a Dominican politician who has been Prime Minister of Dominica since 2004; he has also been the Member of Parliament for the Vieille Case constituency since 2000...
succeeded him.
Campaign
On the 7 April the Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, announced that the election would take place on 5 May. Altogether 47 candidates stood in the 2005 election. There were 21 candidates from the United Workers' Party, 19 from the Dominica Labour Party, 3 from the Dominica Progressive PartyDominica Progressive Party
The Dominica Progressive Party is a minor political party in Dominica. It contested the 1985 general elections under the name Dominica Progressive Force, receiving only 78 votes and failing to win a seat. It changed its name prior to the 1990 elections, but received only 74 votes and again failed...
, 2 from the Dominica Freedom Party
Dominica Freedom Party
The Dominica Freedom Party is a conservative political party in Dominica.The party lost all of its seats in the House of Assembly at 2005 general election, held on 5 May 2005. This was the first time since 1975 that the DFP was not elected in any seats...
and 2 independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidates. 66,000 voters were registered to vote in the election at 249 polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s spread over the 21 constituencies
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
.
Major elections issues included an International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
austerity economic plan for Dominica and the Dominica Labour Party governments' decision to switch recognition from the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
On the Monday before the election, there was an incident when motorcade
Motorcade
A motorcade is a procession of vehicles. The term motorcade was coined by Lyle Abbot , and is formed after cavalcade on the false notion that "-cade" was a suffix meaning "procession"...
s for the two main parties collided with each other. No major injuries resulted and rallies for each party were held afterwards. The police then refused either party permission to hold motorcades on the day before the election.
The campaign was judged as being particularly long and divisive, with the election seen as very close and likely to come down to voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
. A poll in February predicted that the United Workers' Party would win 12 seats, compared to 7 for the Dominica Labour Party and 2 for the Dominica Freedom Party. However another poll in March had the Dominica Labour Party winning 12 seats, the United Workers' Party 7 seats and the Dominica Freedom Party 2 seats.
Results
The Dominica Labour Party increased their number of seats from 10 to 12 thus obtaining a majority. The United Workers' Party lost one seat, one independent candidate was elected and the Dominica Freedom PartyDominica Freedom Party
The Dominica Freedom Party is a conservative political party in Dominica.The party lost all of its seats in the House of Assembly at 2005 general election, held on 5 May 2005. This was the first time since 1975 that the DFP was not elected in any seats...
lost both of their seats. It was the first election in 35 years where the Dominica Freedom Party—the governing party of Eugenia Charles
Eugenia Charles
Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, DBE was Prime Minister of Dominica from 21 July 1980 until 14 June 1995. She was Dominica's first, and to date only, female prime minister, as well as the nation's longest serving prime minister...
from 1980 to 1995—did not win any seats. Prime Minister Skerrit announced that the day after the election would be a national holiday
National holiday
National holiday may refer to:*A National Day, in which a country celebrates its independence, establishment or an otherwise significant event....
and called for Dominica to unite behind the government after the election.
Legal challenges
The United Workers' Party made legal challenges to the results of five constituencies, Castle BruceCastle Bruce
Castle Bruce is a village on the east coast of Dominica. It is the largest settlement in St. David Parish, with a population of 1,339....
, Soufriere
Soufrière, Dominica
Soufrière is a village on the southwest coast of Dominica. It is the capital of Saint Mark Parish and has a population of 1,416 people.-External links:*...
, Mahaut
Mahaut, Dominica
Mahaut is a village on the west coast of Dominica. It has a population of 2,399, and is home to Dominica Colgate-Palmolive ....
, St Joseph and Carib Territory
Carib Territory
The Carib Territory or Carib Reserve is a district in the Caribbean island-nation of Dominica. It was established for the descendants of the indigenous Carib people, also known as the Kalinago, who inhabited Dominica prior to European colonization and settlement.The Carib Territory was officially...
alleging that there were problems with the counts and that the results were rigged by the government. Initial counts in the Castle Bruce constituency had the United Workers' Party candidate ahead but the final result saw the Dominica Labour Party win by one vote. Opposition supporters protested the results outside of the government headquarters in Roseau
Roseau
-Architecture:The central district of Roseau is tightly packed with small and large houses and even larger modern concrete structures. There is little green or open space situated within the city, and this is even more so today, as many of the courtyards which was once commonplace within the city...
. On the 28 October 2005 the legal challenges were dismissed by a High Court Justice, Hugh Rawlins. The appeals court also rejected the lawsuit in April 2006 and the United Workers' Party then dropped the challenges.