1978 Dominican presidential election

1978 Dominican presidential election

21 December 1978

Nominee Fred Degazon John Bully Party DLP DFP Electoral vote 16 10 Percentage 61.5% 38.4%

President before election Louis Cools-Lartigue Elected President Fred Degazon

An indirect presidential election was held on 21 December 1978 to elect the first President of Dominica. Fred Degazon was elected with the ruling Dominica Labour Party.

History

Dominica had become independent from the United Kingdom on 3 November 1978. Louis Cools-Lartigue, who had previously served as governor-general of Dominica, served as the interim president of the country between the start of independence and the first presidential election was held. ^[1]

The election was held on 21 December. ^[2] The House of Assembly voted for the president. The nominee for the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP), Fred Degazon, served as speaker of parliament. The candidate for the opposition Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) was John Bully, who had served as finance secretary. Degazon received 16 votes to Bully's 10. ^[1]

Degazon sworn in on 20 January 1979. The opposition sought legal action against Degazon's election. They argued that it was unconstitutional because Degazon had not been sworn in with 24 hours of being elected. ^[3]

Results

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Fred Degazon	Dominica Labour Party	16	61.54
	John Bully	Dominica Freedom Party	10	38.46
Total			26	100.00
Source: [1]

References

1. "Dominica Lawmakers Pick Island President". Miami Herald . 25 December 1978. p. 52. Retrieved 17 September 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Dominica Picks First President". New York Times . 22 December 1978. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
3. "Asumió la presidencia". El Miami Herald (in Spanish). 21 January 1979. p. 5. Retrieved 17 September 2025– via Newspapers.com.