Court hearing election petitions

The high court in Dominica is today scheduled to begin hearing six election petitions brought by the Opposition United Workers Party (UWP) contesting the legitimacy of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s election victory.



Mr. Skerrit’s Dominica Labour Party won 18 of the parliamentary seats, with the other three going to the UWP in the December 18 election.



However, the UWP alleges that there were irregularities in the election and is challenging six of the results, including that of Prime Minister Skerrit’s in his own Vieille Case constituency.



Defeated UWP candidate Maynard Joseph’s petition claims that Mr. Skerrit held a French passport at the time of the election.



This would disqualify the prime minister from sitting in the House of Parliament.