The executive cabinet of the DLP administration has approved Sir Charles Michael Dennis Byron as sole commissioner for electoral reform in Dominica. This was announced by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit who stated that Sir Byron will begin working in September and deliver his recommendations by December.
A former president of the Caribbean Court of Justice, Sir Byron was also a former Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme, and a former president of the International Criminal Tribunal in Rwanda. He is currently the president of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute.
According to PM Skerrit, the DLP administration first contracted the eminent Caribbean jurist to help with reforming the Dominican electoral system immediately before the last general elections. Although the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible for him to commence work immediately, the prime minister said his government remains committed to implementing the promised electoral reforms.
“Electoral reform for this government is important; it is important for the country, and we are hoping that once Sir Dennis would have submitted his report, then we can go to the Parliament to effect the necessary changes as he will recommend to the country to move forward,” Skerrit stated.
The country said Sir Byron is widely respected within and outside the Caribbean, and that he is the most suited to delivering on the electoral demands of the people. “The respect that Sir Dennis has beyond the Caribbean shores is really exceptional, and I don’t think that there is any better person our country could find to conduct this exercise,” Skerrit said.
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