On a historic Tuesday sitting of Dominica’s House of Assembly, Ashma McDougall officially took office as the newly elected Parliamentary Representative for the Roseau North Constituency, marking the start of her tenure representing local residents.
McDougall’s ascent to the seat follows her decisive victory in the September 7 by-election, called after former representative Miriam Blanchard stepped down from the position on June 12, leaving the constituency seat vacant. Final vote counts released by the Electoral Office confirm McDougall secured a clear win, pulling 1,473 votes to outpace her closest challenger, United Workers Party nominee Daniel “Danny” Lugay, who earned 998 votes. Independent candidate Sherman Boston finished third with 49 votes.
During the formal swearing-in ceremony, McDougall took the required Oath of Allegiance, formalizing her position in the national legislative body. Following the oath-taking, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and fellow sitting members of the House of Assembly extended their congratulations and officially welcomed McDougall to the legislature.
In her maiden address to the chamber after taking her seat, McDougall revealed that she had already begun outreach and collaborative work with Roseau North stakeholders even before her formal swearing-in. She noted that multiple productive meetings have already been held with local community organizations, neighborhood improvement committees, and everyday residents to align with the mandate voters granted her in the by-election.
“I am really looking forward to delivering to the people of Roseau North within the constituency,” McDougall told the assembly. “Work has already begun; actually, we have been meeting with community groups, improvement committees and other persons within the constituency, because we recognize that with this heavy mandate that has been delivered, it will take not only the parliamentary representative or the Dominica Labour Party but multiple individuals across the entire constituency, from different backgrounds and different political colours.”
McDougall closed her opening remarks by offering sincere gratitude to the people of Roseau North, her on-the-ground campaign team, and her campaign manager, Ambassador Ian Douglas, for the widespread support they provided throughout the by-election race. She emphasized her commitment to inclusive representation, saying she is eager to work alongside all community members regardless of political affiliation to advance the constituency’s priorities during her term.