Dominican general election, 2005

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General elections were held in Dominica on 5 May 2005. The result was a victory for the ruling Dominica Labour Party, which won 12 of the 21 seats in the House of Assembly. The opposition United Workers' Party unsuccessfully made legal challenges to several of the constituency results.

Dominica country in the Caribbean

Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the West Indies. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is part of the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The island is located near Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Its area is 750 km2 (290 sq mi), and the highest point is Morne Diablotins, at 1,447 m (4,747 ft) in elevation. The population was 71,293 at the 2011 census. The Commonwealth of Dominica is one of the Caribbean's few republics.

Dominica Labour Party Dominican political party

The Dominica Labour Party is a centre-left social-democratic political party in Dominica.

House of Assembly of Dominica legislature

The House of Assembly is the legislature of Dominica. It is established by Chapter III of the Constitution of Dominica, and together with the President of Dominica constitutes Dominica's Parliament. The House is unicameral, and consists of twenty-one Representatives, nine Senators, and the Attorney General as an ex officio member. The Speaker of the House becomes the thirty-second member if chosen from outside the membership of the House.

Contents

Background

In the previous 2000 elections the ruling United Workers' Party won one fewer seats than the Dominica Labour Party, despite receiving more votes. As a result, the Dominica Labour Party with 10 seats was able to form a coalition government with the Dominica Freedom Party, which had won two seats. [1] In 2004 Prime Minister Pierre Charles died and was succeeded by Minister of Education Roosevelt Skerrit. [2]

A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which multiple political parties cooperate, reducing the dominance of any one party within that "coalition". The usual reason for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament. A coalition government might also be created in a time of national difficulty or crisis to give a government the high degree of perceived political legitimacy or collective identity it desires while also playing a role in diminishing internal political strife. In such times, parties have formed all-party coalitions. If a coalition collapses, a confidence vote is held or a motion of no confidence is taken.

The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) is a conservative political party in Dominica.

Campaign

On 7 April Skerrit announced that the elections would take place on 5 May. [2] Altogether 47 candidates stood in the elections; 21 candidates from the United Workers' Party, 19 from the Dominica Labour Party, 3 from the Dominica Progressive Party, 2 from the Dominica Freedom Party and 2 independents. Just under 66,000 voters were registered to vote in the election at 249 polling stations spread over the 21 constituencies. [3] [4]

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 (0.2%) and failing to win a seat. It changed its name prior to the 1990 elections, but received only 74 votes (0.2%) and again failed to win a seat. Although it did not participate in the elections in 1995 and 2000, it returned for the 2005 elections in which it put forward three candidates but failed to win a seat. In the 2009 elections it received only 24 votes.

An electoral district, (election) precinct, election district, or legislative district, called a voting district by the US Census is a territorial subdivision for electing members to a legislative body. Generally, only voters (constituents) who reside within the district are permitted to vote in an election held there. From a single district, a single member or multiple members might be chosen. Members might be chosen by a first-past-the-post system or a proportional representative system, or another voting method entirely. Members might be chosen through a direct election under universal suffrage, an indirect election, or another form of suffrage.

Major elections issues included an International Monetary Fund austerity economic plan for Dominica and the Dominica Labour Party government's decision to switch recognition from the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the People's Republic of China. [5] [6]

International Monetary Fund International organisation

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of "189 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." Formed in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference primarily by the ideas of Harry Dexter White and John Maynard Keynes, it came into formal existence in 1945 with 29 member countries and the goal of reconstructing the international payment system. It now plays a central role in the management of balance of payments difficulties and international financial crises. Countries contribute funds to a pool through a quota system from which countries experiencing balance of payments problems can borrow money. As of 2016, the fund had SDR477 billion.

Taiwan state in East Asia

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taiwan is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations (UN).

China State in East Asia

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia and the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.404 billion. Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third- or fourth-largest country by total area. Governed by the Communist Party of China, the state exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

On the Monday before the election, there was an incident when motorcades for the two main parties collided with each other. No major injuries resulted and rallies for each party were held afterwards. [7] The police then refused either party permission to hold motorcades on the day before the election. [4]

Motorcade

A motorcade, or autocade, is a procession of vehicles.

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. [3] [4]

Voter turnout percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election

Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election. Eligibility varies by country, and the voting-eligible population should not be confused with the total adult population. Age and citizenship status are often among the criteria used to determine eligibility, but some countries further restrict eligibility based on sex, race, or religion.

Opinion polls

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. [8]

Results

The Dominica Labour Party increased their number of seats from 10 to 12, obtaining a majority. The United Workers' Party lost one seat, one independent candidate was elected, whilst the Dominica Freedom Party lost both its seats. [9] 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. [10] [11] 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 elections. [5] [12]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Dominica Labour Party 19,74152.0712+2
United Workers' Party 16,52943.608–1
Dominica Freedom Party 1,1943.150–2
Dominica Progressive Party 230.060
Independents4261.121+1
Invalid/blank votes1,022–––
Total37,913100210
Registered voters/turnout65,88959.09––
Source: IPU

Aftermath

Following the elections, the United Workers' Party made legal challenges to the results of five constituencies, Castle Bruce, Soufriere, Mahaut, St Joseph and Carib Territory alleging that there were problems with the counts and that the results were rigged by the government. [13] 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. [14] Opposition supporters protested the results outside of the government headquarters in Roseau. [15] On the 28 October 2005 the legal challenges were dismissed by a High Court Justice, Hugh Rawlins. [16] The appeals court also rejected the lawsuit in April 2006 and the United Workers' Party then dropped the challenges. [17]

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References

  1. ↑ "General Election 2005". News-Dominica.com. Archived from the original on 2005-10-23. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  2. 1 2 "Dominica". Angus Reid Global Monitor . Retrieved 2009-02-28.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. 1 2 "Dominica's general election turnout "good" - officials". Caribbean Net News. 2005-05-05. Archived from the original on 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  4. 1 2 3 "Dominica holds general elections". BBC Online . 2005-05-04. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  5. 1 2 "Dominican leader wants unity". BBC Online . 2005-05-06. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  6. ↑ "Governing party retains power in Dominica". The Jamaica Observer . 2005-05-06. Archived from the original on May 7, 2005. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  7. ↑ "Dominican police investigate election motorcade furore". Caribbean Net News. 2005-05-04. Archived from the original on 2006-03-03. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  8. ↑ "Dominica vote too close to call". The Jamaica Observer . 2005-04-11. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  9. ↑ "Dominica: Legislative election of 5 May 2005". Psephos - Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  10. ↑ "Tough times for Dominica Freedom Party". Antigua Sun. 2005-05-19. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  11. ↑ "Dominica re-elects prime minister". Caribbean Net News. 2005-05-09. Archived from the original on 2005-05-08. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  12. ↑ "Ruling party wins Dominica poll". BBC Online . 2005-05-06. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  13. ↑ "Dominica election challenge fails". Caribbean Net News. 2005-06-04. Archived from the original on 2005-11-23. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
  14. ↑ "Dominica general election was free and fair, says elections chief". Caribbean Net News. 2005-05-11. Archived from the original on 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  15. ↑ "Opposition to challenge Dominica's poll results". BBC Online . 2005-05-09. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
  16. ↑ "Ruling by Dominica High Court dashes by-election hopes of United Workers Party". Caribbean Net News. 2005-11-03. Retrieved 2009-02-28.[ permanent dead link ]
  17. ↑ "Dominica opposition drops court challenge to May 2005 poll". The Jamaica Observer . 2006-04-06. Archived from the original on May 3, 2006. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
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