Dominica Labour Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Roosevelt Skerrit |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Ideology | Social democracy Labourism |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| International affiliation | COPPPAL |
| House of Assembly | 19 / 21 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Dominica Labour Party is a centre-left social-democratic political party in Dominica.
Founded in 1955 by Phyllis Shand Allfrey and Emmanuel Christopher Loblack, the Dominica Labour Party is the oldest political party in Dominica. [1] It first contested general elections in 1961, winning seven of the eleven seats. In the next elections in 1966 it won all but one of the seats. It retained power in the 1970 elections, although it was reduced to eight seats. A fourth consecutive victory was achieved in the 1975 elections when it won 16 of the 21 seats.
In 1980 the party suffered a major defeat, seeing its vote share reduced from 50% to 17%, and losing all its seats as the Dominica Freedom Party won the elections. It regained five seats in the 1985 elections, losing one in 1990 and gaining one in 1995.
In the 2000 elections, the party regained power for the first time since 1975, winning 10 of the 21 seats and forming a coalition with the DFP, after which Roosevelt "Rosie" Douglas became Prime Minister. However, on 1 October, 2000 Douglas died suddenly after only a few months in office and was replaced by Pierre Charles. On 6 January, 2004, Charles, who had been suffering from heart problems since 2003, also died. After the death of Pierre Charles, Foreign Minister Osborne Riviere acted as Prime Minister, until Education Minister Roosevelt Skerrit was named political leader of the party and sworn in as Prime Minister.
Under the leadership of Roosevelt Skerrit, the party won 12 seats in the 2005 elections and remained in office. In the 2009 general elections the Dominica Labour Party scored a third consecutive victory winning 18 of the 21 seats, despite the opposition's claims of campaign improprieties. [2]
| Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Edward Oliver LeBlanc | 7,848 | 47.5% | 7 / 11 |  7 | 1st | Majority government |
| 1966 | 11,735 | 65.0% | 10 / 11 | 3 |  1st | Supermajority government | |
| 1970 | 9,877 | 49.9% | 8 / 11 |  2 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 1975 | Patrick John | 10,523 | 49.3% | 16 / 21 | 8 | 1st | Supermajority government |
| 1980 | Patrick John [3] | 5,326 | 16.8% | 0 / 21 | 16 | 3rd | Extra-parliamentary |
| 1985 | Michael Douglas | 13,014 | 39.1% | 5 / 21 | 5 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 1990 | 7,860 | 23.5% | 4 / 21 | 1 | 3rd | Opposition | |
| 1995 | Rosie Douglas | 11,064 | 29.8% | 5 / 21 | 1 | 2nd | Opposition |
| 2000 | 15,362 | 42.9% | 10 / 21 | 5 | 1st | DLP–DFP coalition government | |
| 2005 | Roosevelt Skerrit | 19,741 | 52.07% | 12 / 21 | 2 | 1st | Majority government |
| 2009 | 22,262 | 61.34% | 18 / 21 | 6 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 2014 | 23,208 | 56.99% | 15 / 21 | 3 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 2019 | 23,643 | 59.01% | 18 / 21 | 3 | 1st | Supermajority government | |
| 2022 | 15,214 | 82.38% | 19 / 21 | 1 | 1st | Supermajority government |
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.
Roosevelt Bernard "Rosie" Douglas was a politician and human rights activist from Dominica. He served as Prime Minister of Dominica from February 2000 until his death in office eight months later.
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.
The 1964 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 15 October 1964, five years after the previous election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party, first led by Winston Churchill, had regained power. It resulted in the Conservatives, led by the incumbent Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home, narrowly losing to the Labour Party, led by Harold Wilson; Labour secured a parliamentary majority of four seats and ended its thirteen years in opposition. Wilson became the youngest Prime Minister since Lord Rosebery in 1894. To date, this is also the most narrow majority obtained in the House of Commons with just 1 seat clearing Labour for a majority government.
Francis Osborne Riviere was Foreign Minister of Dominica. He became the foreign minister in 2001, replacing the prime minister, Pierre Charles. He acted as Prime Minister, after Pierre Charles' s death. He had previously been trade minister.
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. Regionally, he has served as the chairman of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and most recently as chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 2010. Skerrit is currently the longest-serving prime minister of Dominica.
The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) is a conservative political party in Dominica. It shares much of the same socially and economically conservative principles as the Conservative Party in the UK. The party has been led by Bernard Hurtault since 2021.
The United Workers' Party is a centrist political party in Dominica. As of the 2022 general election, the party is not represented in the House of Assembly of Dominica, after boycotting the general election. The past Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly is Lennox Linton.
Edison Chenfil James is a Dominican politician who was the prime minister of Dominica from June 14, 1995, to February 3, 2000, as well as the member of parliament for the Marigot constituency from 1990. He graduated from the Dominica Grammar School. He has a BSc degree in botany from the University of East London, a MSc degree in biochemistry from the University of Reading and a post graduate diploma in crop protection technology from Imperial College. He worked in a number of local and regional institutions including the Caribbean Development Bank, but it was as manager of the Dominica Banana Marketing Company that he rose to prominence on the island. He was instrumental in resuscitating the island's critical banana industry which had been decimated by Hurricane David. James has been active in regional cricket as an administrator and was the manager of the Windward Islands cricket team and the Combined Islands cricket team. He is a member of the Rotary Club.
The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds 13 of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.
The United Workers Party is a conservative political party in Saint Lucia currently led by former Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet, who defeated former Prime Minister Stephenson King in a July 28, 2013 leadership election. The party was led previously by Sir John Compton, the party's founder.
Charles Angelo Savarin, DAH is a politician from Dominica who has been President of Dominica since 2013. He is a member of the Dominica Labour Party and served for a time as Minister for National Security, Immigration, Labour and the Public Service.
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, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically situated as part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. 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. Its population was 71,293 at the 2011 census.
The Cabinet of Dominica is appointed by the President of Dominica acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister of Dominica.
A landslide victory is an election result in which the victorious candidate or party wins by an overwhelming margin. The term became popular in the 1800s to describe a victory in which the opposition is "buried", similar to the way in which a geological landslide buries whatever is in its path. What constitutes a landslide varies by the type of electoral system. Even within an electoral system, there is no consensus on what sized margin makes for a landslide.
General elections were held in Dominica on 8 December 2014 to elect the 21 members of the House of Assembly. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced the election date on 5 November 2014 and Nomination Day was held on 19 November. Under Dominica's electoral system, the Prime Minister has the authority to call elections at any time and is only required to give a minimum of twenty-five days' notice.
General elections were held in Dominica on 6 December 2019. The elections were constitutionally due by March 2020, but had been widely expected to take place before the end of 2019. The result was a landslide victory for the ruling Dominica Labour Party, which won 18 of the 21 elected seats, gaining three seats. With the DLP winning a fifth consecutive election, DLP leader Roosevelt Skerrit remained Prime Minister.
General elections were held in Saint Lucia on 26 July 2021, having been constitutionally required by 12 October 2021. Voters elected all 17 members of the House of Assembly. The result was a victory for the opposition Saint Lucia Labour Party, which won 13 of the 17 seats in the House, while the ruling United Workers Party lost nine of its eleven seats, its worst result since 1997. It was the fourth consecutive election in which the incumbent government was defeated.
Snap general elections were held in Dominica on 6 December 2022.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
