Lennox Linton steps down: What led to UWP’s decline in Dominica

Roseau, Dominica: Lennox Linton, Political Leader of the United Workers Party (UWP), stepped down as party president last week. He submitted his resignation to the party and the reasons behind the his resignation from the post have not yet been disclosed. 

Lennox Linton served as Member of Parliament for the Marigot Constituency from December 2014 to 2022 as the political leader of the UWP. However, he resigned from the position of political leader in October 2022. Now, the sources from the party confirmed that his resignation does not signal his departure from the party. 

Notably, Dominica’s main opposition party, UWP has marked a sharp decline in its political structures and appeal among the citizens over the past two decades. Currently, the party does not hold any parliamentary seat after their decision of boycotting the general elections that were held in 2022. 

The party has seen a downfall in its popularity over the years and several factors have been considered that have contributed to the UWP’s decline. 

Factors leading to the downfall of Dominica’s United Workers Party

Back-to-Back Election Defeats: The UWP has failed to secure victory in the general elections in Dominica since its lost power in 2000. Failing to win a majority in the votes, the party has been unable to build their trust among the voters over the years. 

On the other hand, the Dominica Labour Party secured landslide victories in the elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit. The UWP who won six parliamentary seats in the previous election fell down to three seats in the elections of 2014. Due to their decision of boycotting 2022 general elections, the party failed to secure their winning seats and lost their power in the parliament. 

Internal Leadership Conflicts: At the time, when Linton announced his resignation as political leader of UWP in 2022, the indication of the internal conflicts of the UWP had been felt. Due to this, the party failed to present their unified front in front of the public, further leading to the uncertainty among the people about the party’s future.

In addition to that, several high-profile members of the party have quit over the years, citing the major turmoil in the foundation of the party. For instance, in 2018 UWP parliamentarian Joseph Issac also stepped down and quit the party, citing that the party has been playing a “politics of hate”.

Such turmoils tarnished the image of the party among the public of Dominica, resulting in the loss of the interest. These situations signaled to voters that the party is divided, unstable and has no agenda for the development and welfare of the people. 

Lack of enhanced political framework and positive plans: Dominica’s main opposition party lacks enhanced political framework and roadmap for the development of the country. The party and its leadership have always criticized the ruling party, but never presented their agendas or ideas that could be useful for the welfare of the country.

Citizens have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the approach of the party toward their political frameworks, citing that they never addressed the public with innovative ideas that could be useful for their welfare. Political observers also noted that the party is required to rethink policies, renew systems and start working on positive politics, despite criticizing the ruling party. 

The UWP’s failure to reform and modernize its party framework even during its opposition years left it flat-footed and less reliable for voters.