ROSEAU, DOMINICA – June 28, 2026 – As the Commonwealth of Dominica prepares for a high-stakes by-election in the Roseau North constituency, the non-partisan Dominica Business Forum Inc. (DBF) has publicly called out the country’s Electoral Commission for its prolonged silence on key electoral process questions, demanding immediate transparency to uphold public trust in the upcoming vote.
The by-election was triggered by the official resignation of sitting Member of Parliament Miriam Blanchard on June 12. Under Dominica’s constitution, a by-election must be held within 90 days of a parliamentary vacancy, putting the vote on the calendar long before ongoing electoral reforms are scheduled to be fully implemented.
The upcoming contest carries outsize importance: it marks the first major electoral test of the sweeping electoral reform legislation passed by Dominica’s parliament in March 2025. DBF analysts note that the vote is unfolding under highly unusual and complex conditions that have created uncertainty for voters and candidates alike. Most notably, the new national voters’ register, a core component of the 2025 reforms, will not be finalized in time for the by-election. The ongoing voter confirmation process is set to run until October 15, 2026, with a possible three-month extension. Even with this limitation, the DBF emphasizes that other key provisions of the new law – including rules guaranteeing all candidates equal access to state-owned media – can and should be fully implemented for the Roseau North vote.
At the heart of the DBF’s criticism is the Electoral Commission’s refusal to address outstanding questions about how the vote will be administered under the current incomplete reform framework. The five-member commission, led by chairman Duncan Stowe, has ignored repeated public requests from prominent Dominican businessman Gregor Nassief for clarification on the nearly year-long suspension of new voter registration, a gap that has already eroded public confidence for many citizens.
The DBF laid out the core unanswered questions hanging over the by-election: Will voters who have already completed the new confirmation process be removed from the existing old voters list? If they are removed, will their names be added to a temporary updated roll to allow them to cast a ballot in the by-election? The organization stresses that answering these questions is not just a public service – it is a constitutional duty for the Electoral Commission. If the commission continues to refuse to provide clarity, the DBF says, it will validate existing calls from Nassief for all commission members to resign or have their appointments revoked.
The DBF has issued an urgent appeal to Stowe to address the Dominican public immediately, to outline the commission’s current readiness to administer the by-election and clear up confusion around voter eligibility. Under the current timeline, the DBF acknowledges that holding the by-election using the existing old voters register is an unavoidable outcome.
Beyond the Roseau North contest, the organization issued a sharp warning against any potential early general election called before the voter confirmation process is completed. While Dominica’s constitution grants the prime minister the authority to call a general election at any time, the DBF argues that holding a national vote before the new register is finalized would be “immoral, unethical, and grossly disrespectful” to all Dominican citizens. If Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit moves forward with an early general election under these conditions, the DBF says the international community – including the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the Commonwealth Secretariat – must intervene and scrutinize the outcome.
In a separate push to strengthen democratic engagement ahead of the by-election, the DBF has extended an invitation to all three confirmed candidates to participate in a public debate to lay out their policy agendas for the Roseau North constituency and the country as a whole. The candidates include Daniel Lugay of the United Workers Party (UWP), Ashma McDougall of the incumbent Dominica Labour Party (DLP), and Joann Green of the United Workers Party (UPP). The organization highlighted a concerning gap in Dominican democratic discourse: it has been 26 years since political parties participated in a public, open debate, with the last such event held in January 2000 between then-Prime Minister Eddison James and opposition leaders Roosevelt Douglas and Charles Savarin. The DBF says full details of the proposed debate will be released in a follow-up statement in the coming weeks.
As the only private sector organization actively engaged in cross-stakeholder electoral reform discussions in Dominica, the non-partisan DBF closed by urging all eligible voters – both existing electors and eligible new voters – to complete the confirmation or registration process as soon as possible. In a country with what the organization describes as a fragile democracy, active participation remains the most important tool for citizens to uphold democratic accountability, the DBF added.