Brief History

The form of government in the Commonwealth of Dominica was Crown Colony with a Governor and a Legislative Council until March 1967 when it became an Associated State. There were eleven (11) constituencies with a representative for each in the House of Assembly.

On November 3, 1978, political independence was attained from Britain. The constituencies were increased to twenty-one (21) and the House of Assembly consisted of the twenty-one representatives and nine (9) senators. National elections are constitutionally due every five years from the date of the first sitting of the House of Assembly after any dissolution.

On attaining independence, the Governor was replaced by a President who is elected by the member of the House of Assembly on the nominations from both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

The office of the Chief Elections Officer is created by the section 38 (2) of the Constitution and the officer is appointed by the President, acting in consultation with the Electoral Commission. The Chief Elections Officer is responsible for the registration of electors and conducting local and national elections.

The Constituency Boundaries and Electoral Commissions

The Constituency Boundaries and Electoral Commissions are established by Section 56 (1) of the Constitution of Dominica. The Electoral Commission comprises a chairman appointed by the President acting on his own deliberate judgment and four members appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Mister and the Leader of the Opposition. The term for each member terminates when the House of Assembly first meets after the dissolution of Parliament.

Responsibilities of the Commissions

The Electoral Commission shall be responsible for the registration of voters for the purpose of electing Representatives and for the conduct of elections of Representatives.