Roseau, Dominica: Under the directives of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica has taken steps to recognize the essentialism of reviewing and updating the electoral system periodically to ensure fairness, transparency, and efficiency.
Prime Minister has outlined the process of Electoral Modernization and stated that the copies would be released to be accessible by the general public.
As per the reports, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit delivered his remarks regarding electoral modernization and presented an Electoral Reform Report during a press conference held on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 (yesterday) at the State House Conference Centre at 3 pm.
The report will be shared with the general public and other parties both at international and regional levels by which anyone can access and analyze the document. He also stated that he would further address and comment on the reports when the time demands.
On his part, the head of the Electoral Modernization Secretariat – Dr Kennet, had prepared the pathway on which the Dominican government will move further in this direction; he said the reports it had been anticipated that the recommendations made by the commission would be reviewed thoroughly while considering all factors, he noted while mentioning the significance of the recommendations before next general elections.
He added that the task had been approached with an open mind and approach by the government of Dominica and shared within his first week of receiving it. The instruction to purpose a solution to enhance the electoral system of Dominica was made by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, he added.
It was also said that the modernization of the electoral system was aimed at making the nations an ultimate winner in this exercise. The people must follow a nationalist approach for such an assignment, he said. By the end of this calendar year, the process must be concluded by enacting the law.
Furthermore, the reports also mentioned that the Electoral Modernization Report will be available to everyone on various social media platforms and the world wide web.
In addition, the Attorney General of Dominica, Levi Peter, presented an overview of the reports during the press conference and briefed the importance of the reform report. He also mentioned that the government would introduce bills to improve the nation’s electoral system in his speech.
Moreover, to identify challenges, the election process will be thoroughly reviewed in the legislation, which impedes the voting rights of the citizens who are eligible and expand to parliamentary-ready legislation. The following objectives were discussed to fulfil the review process given below:
1. Review existing reports through various past consultants, chief elections officers and experts.
2. Review and advice on the provision for voter eligibility, including the use of voter identification cards for the purpose of booting
3. Identifying best practices for maintaining the updated electoral register that will not result in the repudiation of the right to vote and disenfranchisement of legitimate, qualified voters for
4. Present a House of Assembly Elections bill and a House of Assembly Elections Regulations.
Dominica’s government had provided Phase 1 and Phase 2 copies of the report, and he stated that the leaders and other cabinet members would receive the copies. He mentioned that the reports include six parts and 61 clauses.
It was also outlined that implementing such suggestions will facilitate the government to engage better with the Dominica nationals while maintaining a transparent process for electoral reforms.
The conference was broadcasted live through a number of online platforms to share the update with the residents of Dominica with the motive of sharing the key information the public issued by the government.
