Dominicans to vote in snap election on December 6
Published:Sunday | November 6, 2022 | 10:29 PM
(CMC) - Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit, Sunday night announced December 6 as the date for a snap general election.
He made the announcement in a radio and television broadcast.
Skerrit, who led the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) to victory in the 2019 general election, said that Nomination Day will be on November 18.
He told the nation that he had already asked President Charles Savarin to dissolve the Parliament with immediate effect and issue a writ for the general election.
Skerrit, 50, is one of the region's longest serving prime ministers, having been in power since 2004.
In 2019, he led the party to convincing 18-3 victory.
The DLP is expected to face a challenge from the main opposition United Workers Party, which held three seats in the last Parliament, and whose leader, Lennox Linton, resigned from the position of party leader last month.
“We need a refreshed Dominica Labour Party team, for these very unpredictable, unprecedented and very challenging times," Skerrit said Sunday night.
"Following the changes we made in 2019, there shall next time around be other changes, to ensure the continued renewal of our Labour Party frontline, and maintain our continued relevance and the achievement of the visionary goals that we have set ourselves and our country.
He added: “This current Dominica Labour Party administration was elected in 2019 with a particular mandate. We outlined policies in pursuit of a Dynamic Dominica. We set ourselves goals, within a specific time frame, that cannot now be met because of the unforeseen global circumstances.
“The reality is that our country was paralysed for months. Things we wanted to do, we could not do. Some things we started, have not yet been finished. This is not a game of juvenile rounders. Running a government and a country is serious business. We have to operate in the realm of reality and practicality. We have, as a nation, to press the reset button,” Skerrit said.
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