General elections were held in Dominica on 5 May 2005 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

On 7 April 2005, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced that parliamentary elections would take place on 5 May.  At the age of 32 Skerrit was the third person to hold the post of Prime Minister since the last parliamentary elections in 2000.  Prime Ministers Rosie Douglas and Pierre Charles had passed away in October 2000 and January 2004 respectively.

Skerrit led the Dominica Labour Party (DLP), which had returned to office in 2000 in closely contested elections and formed a coalition government with the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) the ruling party between 1980 and 1995.  The main opposition party the United Workers Party (UWP) was led by Edison James who had served as Prime Minister between 1995 and 2000.

Political Parties & Candidates

Forty-six candidates contested the election.  Four political parties, the Dominica Labour Party (DLP), the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), the United Workers Party (UWP), and the Dominica Progressive Force (DPF) and one independent candidate contested the elections of 2005. 

Election Campaign

The election campaign focused on two main policies implemented by Skerrit: the suspension of diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favour of relations with China and economic reform supported by an IMF loan. 
In March 2004, Skerrit’s government broke off 20 years of diplomatic relations with Taiwan after receiving US$ 112 million in aid from China.  On 25 April 2005, Prime Minister Skerrit claimed that the UWP was receiving campaign funds from Taiwan based on an agreement to restore diplomatic relations upon UWP’s victory.

Nevertheless, the controversy over foreign campaign funds was overshadowed by economic issues.  Several natural disasters have devastated the country’s volatile economy, which is dependent on agricultural exports and tourism and made dealing with the high unemployment rate a priority.  A three-year loan totalling US$ 11.7 million was accorded to Dominica in December 2003 under the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) programme aimed at re-establishing economic growth and reducing unemployment.  In exchange, the government agreed to raise sales tax from 3 to 7.5 per cent and reduce the number of government workers.  During the election campaign, Prime Minister Skerrit argued that the project supported economic growth, which registered 3.5 per cent in 2004 and a projected 3.7 per cent in 2005.  The opposition leader insisted that the government had failed to create sustainable jobs and tangible benefits for ordinary citizens.

Results

The DLP secured 12 seats two more than in the 2000 elections.  The UWP share remained at eight seats while for the first time in 35 years the DFP did not win any seats.  The remaining seat went to an independent candidate sympathetic to the DLP.

Voter Turnout

About 59 per cent of registered voters cast their ballot.

Post-Election

Skerrit was sworn in as Prime Minister on 9 May 2005.  On 10 May 2005. One thousand UWP supporters rallied in front of the government headquarters to protest the election results.  Opposition leader James insisted that irregularities at the polls had enabled the DLP to win five of its twelve seats.  The UWP also accused the DLP of buying airplane tickets with funds from money laundering activities to enable some Dominicans to return to vote in the elections.  The Prime Minister denied these accusations.  The new cabinet was sworn in on 12 May.

The new parliament held its first session on 27 July 2005 and re-elected Alix Boyd Knights as Speaker.