Above: Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit (CJ Photo)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Dominica’s voters have spoken, and the Dominica Labour Party has earned another term in office, albeit with a slightly smaller majority.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s Dominica Labour Party led the DLP to win 15 of 21 seats in the island’s Parliament, the fourth consecutive electoral win for the party, according to preliminary results.
The DLP defeated the United Workers’ Party led by Opposition Leader Lennox Linton.
The win also bucked a recent trend in the Caribbean of opposition parties sweeping to power, with few exceptions, notably in Barbados.
“I am humbled by the overwhelming response of the electorate of Dominica to our appeal for the mandate to continue to govern Dominica for another five years,” he said.
He said more resources would be devoted to “wiping out poverty and ignorance” on the island.
The election stuck with a trend of DLP rule on the island, which has had eight Prime Ministers in its independent history, with seven belonging to the DLP.
Skerrit first assumed office as Prime Minister in 2004, and remains the youngest Prime Minister in the Caribbean at just 42.
“The best is yet to come,” Skerrit said.