5-Man Electoral Commission Complete As Duncan Stowe Is Sworn In As Chairman
The 5-man committee of the new Electoral Commission is now complete with the Tuesday swearing-in of Duncan G. Stowe and Alick Lawrence. President Charles Savarin swore in attorney-at-law Duncan Stowe as the chairman of the Dominica Electoral Commission, taking over from Gerald Burton.
In compliance with the constitution, the ruling government party nominates two candidates for the commission and the opposition party nominates another two, while the president nominates the fifth nominee. To this end, the composition of the 5-member committee is as follows:
- Duncan G. Stowe, Esquire – Chairman, Appointed by the President
- Alick Lawrence, Esquire – Appointed by the Prime Minister
- Lennox Lawrence, Esquire – Appointed by the Prime Minister
- Wayne James, Esquire – Appointed by the Leader of the Opposition
- Hillary Shillingford, Esquire – Appointed by the Leader of the Opposition
Stowe was sworn in at a small ceremony at the office of the president and then presented with the oath of office. Alick Lawrence had earlier been sworn in on the same day. The other three members of the commission had been sworn in a few days ago at different ceremonies.
“His Excellency President Charles A. Savarin, acting in accordance with Section 56 (3) (a) of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica, has appointed Attorney-at-Law, Mr. Duncan G. Stowe, to be Chairman of the Electoral Commission for the Commonwealth of Dominica with effect from the 30th day of September 2020,” a statement from the Office of the President reads.
After his swearing-in, Stowe in a brief comment said he is thankful for the confidence reposed in him by the president. He said the job before him comes with lots of challenges but that he is certain of success with the positive cooperation of the entire commission members. He added that he will discharge his duties to the best of his abilities and that he will not disappoint the entire nation which now looks up to him and the commission members for progressive electoral reform in Dominica.
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