Dominica Government

The island of Dominica in the Caribbean was discovered by explorer Christopher Columbus while sailing for Spain on November 3, 1493. The name Dominica was derived from the Latin word “Domingo” which means a Sunday – the day Columbus sailed past and discovered the nature island. The island country is located between Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast and has a population of about 75,000 people. The capital of Dominica is Roseau.

The Commonwealth of Dominica ultimately achieved independence from Britain on November 3, 1978. The country’s legal system is based on English Common Law. The island country is a parliamentary republic that operates a unicameral system of government where the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government.

The current President is Charles Angelo Savarin and the current Prime Minister is Roosevelt Skerrit. Savarin became the president on October 2, 2013, and Skerrit was elected as prime minister on January 8, 2004.

Executive Arm of Government

The president and the prime minister constitute the Executive Branch of government. The president is nominated by the prime minister and elected by the House of Assembly for a 5-year period, while the president also appoints the Member of Parliament who commands the majority of elected representatives in the House of Assembly as prime minister for a period of 5 years. With the recommendation of the president, the prime minister appoints certain members of parliament or other qualified persons as cabinet ministers.

The Speaker of the House of Assembly is appointed or elected by other members of the parliament.

Legislative Arm of Government

The Dominica Parliament or House of Assembly is made up of 32 members. Twenty-one members of the House are elected from the 10 constituencies of the country and nine are appointed by the president – five on the advice of the prime minister and four on the recommendation of the opposition leader. There is also the Speaker and the Clerk of the House who is an ex-officio member.

The members of parliament who are representatives of various constituencies also decide on whether senators are to be elected or not. Elected positions are for periods of five years.

Judicial Arm of Government

Considering that Dominica’s legal system is based on the English Common Law, the country has three magistrate courts and High Court. Any matters that cannot be settled by the magistrate courts and High Court can be taken to the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal which is headquartered in Saint Lucia, and perhaps from here to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Justice.

The justice of the High Court in Dominica must be one of the 16 justices of the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

Administrative Parishes of Dominica

There are 10 administrative divisions in Dominica and these are listed as follows:

Saint Andrew Parish
Saint David Parish
Saint George Parish
Saint John Parish
Saint Joseph Parish
Saint Luke Parish
Saint Mark Parish
Saint Patrick Parish
Saint Paul Parish
Saint Peter Parish

Ministries of Government

There are several government ministries in the country and most of them are headed by ministers or the prime minister himself. These are:

Ministry of Blue and Green Economy, Agriculture and National Food Security
Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Business, and Export Development
Ministry of Governance, Public Service Reform, Citizen Empowerment, Social Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs
Ministry of Education, Human Resource Planning, Vocational Training, and National Excellence
Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs, Investment, Planning, Resilience, Sustainable Development, Telecommunications, and Broadcasting
Ministry of Health, Wellness, and New Health Investment
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Business, and Diaspora Relations
Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Ministry of National Security and Home Affairs
Ministry of the Environment, Rural Modernization, and Kalinago Upliftment
Ministry of Public Works and The Digital Economy
Ministry of Tourism, International Transport, and Maritime Initiatives
Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, Youth at Risk, Gender Affairs, Seniors Security and Dominicans with Disabilities
Ministry of Sports, Culture and Community Development

Political Parties in Dominica

Dominica is largely a two-party state given that there are two dominant political parties in the country – the ruling party and the opposition party. However, here is the list of political parties in the country at this time –

Dominica Labour Party (DLP)
United Workers Party (UWP)
Dominica Freedom Party (DFP)
Dominica Progressive Party (DPP)
People’s Democratic Movement (PDM)

Former Leaders

Dominica has a long list of former national leaders which include former Chief Ministers, Premiers, Speakers of the House of Assembly, Prime Ministers, and Presidents among others.

International Organizations

Dominica is a member of several regional and international organizations, and these include ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, Commonwealth of Nations, ECCU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, and WTO among others.

National Symbols

The main national symbols of Dominica are the Sisserou parrot and the Carib Wood flower which are both indigenous to the island. The national colours of the country are green, yellow, black, white, and red. The national flag of the country has a green background with a red circle in the middle. In the middle of the red circle is the Sisserou parrot which is the national bird of Dominica and surrounded by 10 green stars which represent the 10 administrative parishes of the country. Leading from the central red circle are three colours of yellow, black, and white which extend to the two vertical and two horizontal sides of the flag.