List of presidents of Dominica

Last updated
President of the
Commonwealth of Dominica
Flag of the President of Dominica.svg
Sylvanie Burton (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Sylvanie Burton
since 2 October 2023
Residence Government House in Roseau
Term length Five years [1]
renewable once
Constituting instrument Constitution of Dominica
Inaugural holder Sir Louis Cools-Lartigue
FormationNovember 3, 1978
(46 years ago)
 (1978-11-03)
Salary91,000 XCD annually [2]
Website http://presidentoffice.gov.dm/
Government House in Roseau, the residence of the president of Dominica Government House (46265572904).jpg
Government House in Roseau, the residence of the president of Dominica

The President of Dominica is the head of state under the system implemented by the Constitution of 1978, the year of Dominica's independence. [3]

Contents

Unlike other former British colonies in the region, Dominica did not retain Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a Governor-General, as head of state, on its independence, instead electing to become a parliamentary republic with a President as ceremonial head of state, a compromise between the governing Dominica Labour Party, which favoured retaining the monarchy, and the opposition Dominica Freedom Party, which favoured a republic with an executive presidency. [4] [5]

The current president is Sylvanie Burton, since 2 October 2023.

List of officeholders

Source: [6]

Political parties and other affiliations
   Independent
   Dominica Labour Party (DLP)
Status
  Denotes interim or acting president
No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
ElectedTerm of officePolitical party
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
No image.png Sir Louis Cools-Lartigue
(1905–1993)
3 November 197816 January 197974 days Independent
1 No image.png Fred Degazon
(1913–2008) [a]
16 January 197929 January 19801 year, 13 days Independent
No image.png Sir Louis Cools-Lartigue
(1905–1993) [b]
15 June 197916 June 19791 day Independent
Jenner Armour (cropped).jpg Jenner B. M. Armour
(1932–2001) [7] [c]
21 June 197925 February 1980249 days Independent
2 No image.png Aurelius Marie
(1904–1995)
25 February 198019 December 19833 years, 297 days Independent
3 No image.png Clarence Seignoret
(1919–2002) [d]
1983 1988 19 December 198325 October 19939 years, 310 days Independent
4 No image.png Crispin Sorhaindo
(1931–2010)
1993 25 October 19935 October 19984 years, 345 days Independent
5 No image.png Vernon Shaw
(1930–2013)
1998 6 October 19981 October 20034 years, 360 days Independent
6 Nicholas Liverpool.jpg Nicholas Liverpool
(1934–2015)
2003
2008
1 October 200317 September 20128 years, 352 days Independent
7 No image.png Eliud Williams
(born 1948)
2012 17 September 20122 October 20131 year, 15 days DLP
8 Swearing in of His Excellency Charles A Savarin, DAH, President of the Commonwealth of Dominica (44464022734).jpg Charles Savarin
(born 1943)
2013
2018
2 October 20132 October 202310 years DLP
9 Sylvanie Burton (cropped).jpg Sylvanie Burton
(born 1965)
2023 2 October 2023Incumbent1 year, 339 days DLP

See also

Notes

  1. Left Dominica on 11 June 1979.
  2. Acting for Degazon.
  3. Acting for Degazon until 29 January 1980.
  4. Sir Clarence Seignoret from 25 October 1985.

References

  1. "Establishment of Office - Office of the President". presidentoffice.gov.dm. Archived from the original on 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  2. Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (13 October 2008). "PRESIDENT'S EMOLUMENTS AND CONDITIONS OF OFFICE (AMENDMENT) ACT 8" (PDF). www.dominica.gov.dm.
  3. Lawrence, Alick C., The Constitution, The Government & You: An introduction to the Constitution and Governance of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Pont Casse Press, pp. 37–38, ISBN   0-9737347-5-2
  4. Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutional Law, Routledge, 2013, page 198]
  5. Surrogates for the Sovereign: Constitutional Heads of State in the Commonwealth, David Butler, Springer, 1991, page 173
  6. "Administering Officers - Office of the President". presidentoffice.gov.dm.
  7. "Index Ar-As". www.rulers.org.