The first written records in the history of Dominica began in November 1493,when Christopher Columbus spotted the island. Prior to European contact,Dominica was inhabited by the Arawak. Dominica was a French colony from 1715 until the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763,and then became a British colony from 1763 to 1978. It became an independent nation in 1978.
The Kalinago,also called Island Caribs or simply Caribs,are an Indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. They may have been related to the Mainland Caribs (Kalina) of South America,but they spoke an unrelated language known as Kalinago or Island Carib. They also spoke a pidgin language associated with the Mainland Caribs.
Marise Ann Payne is an Australian politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1997 until 2023,representing the Liberal Party. She held senior ministerial office in Coalition governments between 2013 and 2022,including as Minister for Defence (2015–2018) and Minister for Foreign Affairs (2018–2022).
Meira Kumar is an Indian politician and former diplomat. A member of the Indian National Congress,she was the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2004 to 2009,the Minister of Water Resources for a brief period in 2009. She served as the 15th Speaker of Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014,being the first woman to hold the post. Kumar became just the second woman to be nominated for president of India by a major political block when she secured the United Progressive Alliance's nomination in 2017.
Jacinta Marie Allan is an Australian politician serving as the 49th and current premier of Victoria since 2023. She has been the leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2023 and has been a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the district of Bendigo East since 1999. She previously served as the 29th deputy premier of Victoria from 2022 to 2023. Allan is the longest-serving female minister in Victorian state history and currently the most senior sitting member of the Assembly.
Dominica,officially the Commonwealth of Dominica,is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital,Roseau,is located on the western side of the island. Dominica's closest neighbours are two constituent territories of the European Union,the overseas departments of France,Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Dominica comprises a land area of 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 Leader of the Opposition of the Commonwealth of Dominica is the Member of Parliament who leads the Official Opposition in the House of Assembly of Dominica.
The Cabinet of Dominica is appointed by the President of Dominica acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister of Dominica.
Ronald Milner Green is a Dominican politician who has served as the head of the United Workers' Party (UWP). In that capacity,Green was also the Leader of the Opposition of Dominica from 2005 until 2009,when he lost his seat in the House of Assembly in the general election. Green is now serving in the Assembly as an appointed senator.
Malarndirri Barbara Anne McCarthy is an Indigenous Australian politician and former journalist who has been a Senator for the Northern Territory since 2016. She is the Minister for Indigenous Australians in the Albanese Government since 29 July 2024. She previously served in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly.
The Kalinago Territory,previously known as the Carib Reserve or Carib Territory (outdated/derogatory),is a 3,700-acre (15 km2) district in the Caribbean island country of Dominica. It was established for the Indigenous Kalinago people who inhabited the region prior to European colonization and settlement.
Claudius Sanford is a Dominican politician in the United Workers' Party. He served in the House of Assembly of Dominica as an Opposition Senator from 2005 to 2009,and from August 2010 to October 2011.
Samia Suluhu Hassan is a Tanzanian politician who has been serving as president of Tanzania since 19 March 2021. She is the first woman to serve in the position. She previously served as vice-president of Tanzania from 2015 to 2021,from which she ascended to the presidency following the death of her predecessor,John Magufuli.
Gudrid Ida "Gudie" Hutchings is a Canadian politician serves as Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. A member of the Liberal Party,Hutchings has represented Long Range Mountains in the House of Commons since the 2015 election.
Christine Carla Kangaloo is a Trinidadian politician,who is the president of Trinidad and Tobago since 2023. She was president of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago from 2015 until her resignation to run for president in 2023. She is the only person to serve as both President and Vice President of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago,the first woman to serve as Senate Vice President and third woman to serve as acting President of Trinidad and Tobago and Senate President. She became the second woman to serve as President of Trinidad and Tobago upon her assumption of office on 20 March 2023. Kangaloo has served as an Opposition Senator,Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister,Minister of Legal Affairs and Minister of Science,Technology and Tertiary Education in previous People's National Movement governments.
Anette Thomas-Sanford is a Dominican nurse and politician,and in 2024 became the first woman to serve as Chief of the Kalinago Territory in 400 years. She served as a Senator in the House of Assembly from 10 February 2020 to 6 December 2022 for the opposition United Workers' Party.
Whitney Leah Mélinard is a Kalinago activist from Dominica. She is the founder of the Kalinago Ripple Effect Initiative to promote solutions to social issues in the Kalinago Territory.
Roger F. Nyhus is an American business and civic leader who is serving as the United States ambassador to Barbados,the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS.
Snap general elections were held in Dominica on 6 December 2022. Boycotted by the opposition United Workers' Party (UWP) and Dominica Freedom Party (DFP),the ruling Dominica Labour Party led by Roosevelt Skerrit,who had been prime minister since 2004,retained its supermajority in the House of Assembly by winning 19 of the 21 elected seats. Turnout was low at only 32%,the first time in Dominican history that less than half of eligible voters participated in a general election.
An indirect presidential election was held on 27 September 2023 to elect the next President of Dominica.
Sylvanie Burton with the Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Sustainable Energy,3-4 June 2019,London
