The DLP, under the leadership of PM Roosevelt Skerrit, has won the December 6 snap election. The ruling party won 19 seats while two independent candidates won 2 seats. Independent candidate Jesma Paul won 617 votes to defeat DLP’s Lynsia Frank, who had 463 votes, to emerge the new parliamentary leader of Salisbury Constituency. Anthony S. Charles also won the Marigot Constituency as an independent candidate.
Out of the 15 constituencies that were contested for at the polls, the DLP ultimately won 13 seats and two go to Paul and Charles who won for Salisbury and Marigot independently. The UWP and DFP among other opposition parties withdrew from the snap election and urged people to not vote.
| # | Constituency | Candidate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Castle Bruce | Octavia Alfred (DLP) |
| 2 | Colihaut | Darren Pinard (DLP) |
| 3 | Cottage | Roland Royer (DLP) |
| 4 | Grand Bay | Dr. Vince Henderson (DLP) |
| 5 | St. Joseph | Darron Tevin Lloyd (DLP) |
| 6 | La Plaine | Dr. Cassandra Williams (DLP) |
| 7 | Mahaut | Cassani C Laville (DLP) |
| 8 | Marigot | Anthony Samora Charle (Independant) |
| 9 | Morne Jaune | Gretta Bernadette Roberts (DLP) |
| 10 | Paix Bouche | Lakeyia Lennicia Jamelle Joseph (DLP) |
| 11 | Petite Savanne | Jullan B.G Defo (DLP) |
| 12 | Portsmouth | Fenella Wenham (DLP) |
| 13 | Roseau Central | Melissa Poponne-Skerrit (DLP) |
| 14 | Roseau North | Miriam Alethea Blanchard (DLP) |
| 15 | Roseau South | Chekira Nikisha Sara Lockhart (DLP) |
| 16 | Roseau Valley | Irving Francis McIntyre (DLP) |
| 17 | Salisbury | Jesma Paul (Independant) |
| 18 | Soufriere | Denise Charles (DLP) |
| 19 | Salybia | Cozier Pius Frederick (DLP) |
| 20 | Vieille Case | Roosevelt Skerrit (DLP) |
| 21 | Wesley | Fidel N Grant (DLP) |
Having won the general election, PM Skerrit has vowed to make good on his promise of working with independent candidates. He congratulated Paul and Charles for winning their constituencies and stated that their victory indicated that Dominicans exercised their rights to vote for candidates of their choice.
I just want to extend congratulations to the two candidates who won in Salisbury and Marigot. “I think it clearly shows that the elections were credible and they were free and fair and that the voters of Dominica exercised their right to vote and they voted for candidates of their choosing.”
Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica
The prime minister also expressed goodwill to candidate of Team Unity Dominica (TUD) and other independent candidates who lost in the election. He said he is willing to sit at a roundtable with independent winners and losers “so we can chart a new course for the country.” It will be recalled that Skerrit had promised before the election to appoint four independent candidates into office if the DLP won the entire 21 constituencies.
Skerrit said he is not only looking forward to working with Paul and Charles, that he is also looking forward to meeting with leaders of the opposition parties, most especially the new political leader of the UWP, Dr. Thomson Fontaine. He said Fontaine’s economic views and opinions would be invaluable to implementing the “national reset” envisaged by his administration, and that the economist’s professional and residential experiences outside Dominica would be bring diversity to government.
And of course, I will meet with the leader of the UWP [Fontaine] to discuss with him some of his views where the country is concerned. I have copies of their [independent candidates] manifestos, for want of a better term, and we will be looking at those as well. So I am really hoping that we can change the atmosphere in the country where the political discussion is concerned.
Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica
Having won the elections now, the prime minister said he is still waiting to have the report of electoral reforms contracted out to Sir Dennis Byron. He said he will present this to parliament after the inputs of all stakeholders have been revised. “I will take the bill from Sir Denis Byron to Parliament in January 2023; and by Easter 2023 after engaging all sectors, we will move to have the election ID cards,” he promised.
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