Political Parties in Dominica
There are numerous political parties in Dominica. Some of them are major parties and others are minor parties struggling to gain political prominence. Some belong to the ruling party and others to either the coalition or the opposition. Some of these parties are listed below:
- Dominica Labour Party
The Dominica Labour Party (DLP) is the oldest political party in Dominica. It was established by Phyllis Shand Allfrey and Emmanuel Christopher Loblack in 1955. The party contested the first general elections in 1961, and then in 1966, 1970, and in 1975.
The DLP lost the 1980 general elections to the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), and also in 1985, 1990, and in 1995.
The DLP, however, won the elections again in 2000 – for the first time since 1975 – and subsequently created a coalition with the DFP, and Roosevelt “Rosie” Douglas became the Prime Minister. Douglas died a few months later in office on October 1, 2000, and Pierre Charles was sworn in as Prime Minister. Charles also died in office on January 6, 2004, after suffering heart-related problems; and Foreign Minister Osborne Riviere acted as the prime minister until Education Minister Roosevelt Skerrit was sworn in as the Prime Minister and leader of the DLP.
Edward Oliver LeBlanc was the DLP party leader in the House of Assembly from 1961 to 1970; Patrick John became the parliamentary party leader from 1975 to 1995; Rosie Douglas was the House party leader in 2000; and PM Roosevelt Skerrit remains the party leader from 2005 till date.
The party’s office address is 18, Hanover Street, Roseau, Dominica. The party’s logo is the shoe.
- United Workers Party
The United Workers Party (UWP) is the main opposition party in Dominica for several years running. The political party was established in 1988 by Edison James, Julius Timothy, Norris Prevost, Dennis La Bassiere, and many others. The party won its first general elections in 1995 and pioneer founder Edison James became the country’s Prime Minister.
The UWP lost the 2000 and 2005 general elections but Edison James remained the leader of the party. But in December 2005, James stepped down as party leader and Attorney Earl Williams assumed party leadership after beating Deputy Leader Julius Timothy. Timothy then cross-carpeted to the DLP even though he was the Minister of Finance under the UWP’s former government.
The UWP lost the December 2009 elections, prompting the three elected party members of parliament to boycott parliamentary sessions. Alix Boyd Knights, Speaker of the House, declared the seats of the absentee parliamentarians vacant and following a by-election, the parliamentarians won their seats again after contesting against their former rivals.
In 2010, Hector John emerged as the UWP’s opposition leader in the parliament. In 2012, Edison James became the party leader again, and Ezekiel Bazil became the president of the party. The current party and opposition leader is Lennox Linton – since 2014.
Edison James was the leader of the party in the House of Parliament from 1990 to 2005; Earl Williams became the leader in the House in 2009; and Lennox Linton became party leader in the parliament from 2014 to date.
The party’s office address is 37, Cork Street, Roseau, Dominica. The party’s logo is the saw.
- Dominica Freedom Party
The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) was established in 1968. It is affiliated with the Caribbean Democrat Union and the International Democrat Union. The current leader of the party is Michael Astaphan. The DFP produced Dame Eugenia Charles as Dominica’s Prime Minister in 1980 and she served till 1995 when she retired. Dame Charles was also a party leader from 1972 to 1995.
The DFP was defeated in the 1995 general elections and Brian Alleyne became party leader. However, Charles Savarin emerged as the DFP party leader in 1996. But the party formed a coalition with the DLP for the 2000 general elections and Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit appointed Charles Savarin as a senator and minister of foreign affairs.
Dame Eugenia Charles was the political leader of the DFP in the House of Parliament from 1970 to 1995; Charles Savarin became the leader in the House from 2000 to 2005; and Michael Astaphan became leader since 2009 to date.
The DFP remains a minor political party in Dominica today.
The party’s office address is 37, Great George Street, Roseau, Dominica. The party’s logo is a hand pointing ahead.
- Dominica Progressive Party
The Dominica Progressive Party (DPP) used to be known as the Dominica Progressive Force (DPF). But after participating and losing in the 1985 general elections, the party reverted its name from DPF to DPP.
The party thereafter contested the 1990 elections and still lost. The DPP decided not to take part or field any candidates for the 1995 and 2000 general elections, but they contested the 2005 and 2009 elections and still lost.
The party failed to win a seat in the House of Parliament in all the elections it took part in. The DPP remains a minor political party in Dominica today.
The party’s office address is 12, Ship Street, Roseau, Dominica. The party’s logo is the hammer.
- Peoples Democratic Movement
The Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) was established in 2007 by Williams Riviere. He used to be a senior official of the DLP before he crossed the floor to establish the PDM. The party contested in the 2009 general elections and fielded three candidates, but it lost the elections and its candidates failed to secure any seats in the House of Assembly.
The PDM remains a minor political party in Dominica today.
The party’s office address is 46, Hanover, Roseau, Dominica. The party’s logo is the table clock.
- Peoples Party of Dominica
The Peoples Party of Dominica (P-POD) was established by Sapphire Carrington on November 3, 2015. The party prides itself as an advocate for social and economic progress among the lowly placed peoples of Dominica. The political party is structured into two committees which are the Peoples National Committee and the Orange Parliamentarians Campaign Committee.
The motto of the party is: Building Momentum Moving Forward.
“We pledge to serve with integrity and to make progress every day in actions, not just in words,” the party vowed. “P-POD promotes equity, participation, pluralism, transparency, accountability and the rule of law in a manner that is empowering, effective, efficient, and enduring.”
The party’s logo is the garden fork.
- Dominica United People’s Party (DUPP)
- Socialist Workers Party (SWP)
- Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM)
- Alternative Peoples’ Party (AAP)