General elections were held in Dominica on 1 July 1985 for the 21 elected seats in the House of Assembly using a first-past-the-post system.

Electoral System

The unicameral Parliament of Dominica, the House of Assembly, is composed of 21 elected Representatives, in single-member constituencies through a first-past-the-post system. Of the remaining eleven members, nine are appointed by the President (five on the advice of the Prime Minister and four on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition); and two - the Speaker and the Attorney General - are ex-officio. The normal duration of the legislature is five years.

Background

The July 1985 parliamentary election was the first to take place in Dominica since the United States-Caribbean military intervention in Grenada OECS chairwoman, Charles, who had emerged as one of the most visible defenders of the intervention, portrayed the election as a choice between democracy and communism.

Political Parties & Candidates

Forty-nine candidates vied for the 21 seats at stake in the 1985 election.  Primary contenders in the elections were the ruling Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), led by Prime Minister Mary Eugenia Charles, and the Labour Party of Dominica (LPD), headed by Michael Douglas; the LDP had been formed earlier in the year through a merger of the former Dominica Labour Party (DLP) and the United Dominica Labour Party (UDLP) of Rosie Douglas (brother of Michael Douglas).  The Dominica Progressive Force (DPF) was the fourth party contesting the election.

Election Campaign

During the campaign, Miss Charles pointed to her Government's record of having improved the economy (especially reductions in the unemployment and inflation rates) and virtually achieved food self-sufficiency in the country.  In foreign affairs, the DFP was regarded as pro-West. 

Prime Minister Charles charged that the DLP had become communist, and she accused opposition leaders of receiving funds from Cuba, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and Libya. In an effort to create a new image, the DLP combined with other parties to form the LPD.

Results

On polling day, the conservative DFP emerged with a slightly reduced but still dominant majority of Representatives.  The DFP captured 59 percent of the vote and 15 of the 21 elective House seats. Despite a slightly reduced majority, DFP support remained strong.

Voter Turnout

Voter turnout was 74.6%.

Post-Election

Prime Minister Charles was sworn in for a second five-year term on 3 July and, the next day, announced the formation of a reshuffled Cabinet.