Dominica House speaker declares seats vacant

Speaker of the Dominica House of Assembly, Alix Boyd Knights, has declared the seats of two opposition legislators, vacant in light of their continued boycott of the Parliament following last December’s general election.



The two include former Prime Minister Edison James.



However, in an immediate response to the decision, James questioned the haste with which the Speaker moved against the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) members.



Following the December 18 general elections, the UWP had said that it would boycott the Parliament in protest of what it claimed were the irregularities that plagued the poll won by the ruling Dominica Labour Party.



Under the Standing Orders of the Parliament, any legislator who misses three consecutive meetings without the approval of the Speaker can have his or her seat declared vacant