Three electoral bills will be passed in first quarter of 2025: PM Roosevelt Skerrit

Roseau, Dominica: Three bills of the electoral reforms will be passed in the first quarter of 2025, as announced by Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit. Three bills such as Electoral Commission Bill 2024, House of Assembly Elections Bill 2024, and Registration of Electors Bill 2024 were presented in the parliament of Dominica on December 16, 2024, for the first reading.  

Speaking during the radio interview, PM Skerrit talked about the future of three bills and said that these bills are constitutional reform, aiming to empower electoral commission. He added that the bills would have been passed in 2016.  

“We went to parliament with all of the bills. They were a comprehensive set of bills to address the issue of electoral reform, electoral modernization. We all knew what happened... We have given a firm commitment to electoral reform,” he said.  

 The PM claimed during the interview that never in the history of Dominica was the matter treated with such seriousness. He said the electoral reform was considered no less important than constitutional reform because the government gives utmost importance to citizens’ voting rights. 

Skerrit also said the government-maintained transparency in the process by taking into confidence various parties and invited international observers to follow the entire process.   

The PM then said that it is the Parliament which has to pass laws at the end of the day and unless that is done with the electoral reform Bills, the Electoral Commission will have zero authority to carry out the reforms.  

Legislation will be passed in 2025 Q1: PM 

PM Skerrit was confident that the government would “absolutely going to Parliament to pass legislation” in the first quarter of 2025.  

The government’s initiative for electoral reforms has also not been without controversies. Dominica’s Electoral Reform Coalition questioned the move, alleging a lack of transparency and inadequate public scrutiny. It said the government was acting on the matter after nearly two decades of demanding the reforms but without proper public notice.  

He asserted that no Bill will be imperfect in the beginning and that’s why laws are amended from time to time to keep pace with time.  

He said there are things in the Bills that he doesn’t agree with personally as a citizen of the country. But he cannot impose his personal views on the legislation. PM Skerrit said the government decided to agree with parties who had divergent views.  

“This is not about unanimity. It’s about consensus. And I believe that there is consensus in the country on advancing those bills. There'll be people who will always have different views on this thing, what should we do, what should not be in it, what should go away, and so forth."

The PM said empowering the commission to carry out reforms after the Bills are passed will conclude a long debate that has consumed much time of the citizens of Dominica.  

“This is what we’re going to be doing. And I don't think anything going to stop us in that,” the PM said.