An open letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Dominica from prominent local figure Gregor Nassief is sounding the alarm over a deeply troubled electoral reform process, calling for an urgent overhaul of the island nation’s Electoral Commission just four and a half months ahead of the October 15, 2026 general election. Nassief argues that repeated institutional failures, eroded public trust, and widespread perceptions of political dependence have left the body incapable of delivering a free, fair, and visibly legitimate election, making a full leadership reset non-negotiable.
Nassief’s case for reform rests on a pattern of systemic dysfunction that stretches back more than a year. The most foundational violation he cites is the 355-day suspension of continuous voter registration, which ran from March 19, 2025, to March 9, 2026. This pause barred thousands of newly eligible citizens from adding their names to the voter rolls ahead of local government elections, a violation of the constitutional right to voter registration that the Prime Minister has dismissed as “water under the bridge.” When asked whether the suspension could have altered past election outcomes, the sitting Chief Elections Officer (CEO) refused to rule out potential impact, further deepening public uncertainty.
The ongoing voter list confirmation process, a core component of the government’s electoral reform agenda, has also stalled dramatically. Official data shared by the Prime Minister at a May 5, 2026 press conference shows that by April 30, just 6,592 confirmation applications had been approved out of 16,573 total submissions received over six and a half months. With Dominica’s total voting-age resident population estimated at roughly 55,000, that means fewer than 12% of eligible voters have been successfully added to the new voter roll less than five months out from election day. Even for the small share of voters that have been approved, no identification cards have been issued, with distribution not expected to start for another six to eight weeks.
Beyond slow progress, the Commission has failed to meet basic transparency and accountability standards expected of democratic institutions, Nassief argues. The body has refused to publish regular, up-to-date data on application volumes, approval rates and overall progress — information that would allow the public to track whether bottlenecks are being addressed and statutory deadlines are on track. It has also failed to communicate openly with the public and press about delays, apologize for disruptions to the process, or lay out clear plans to get back on schedule. Nassief notes that the Prime Minister recently publicly lambasted local utility provider DOMLEC for failing to communicate during power outages, yet has applied no similar standard to the Electoral Commission, despite the body’s responsibility for safeguarding democracy rather than just electricity supply.
The most damaging flaw, Nassief argues, is the complete lack of visible independence that the Commission has displayed, in violation of constitutional requirements. Section 56(11) of Dominica’s Constitution explicitly states that the Electoral Commission must not be subject to direction or control from any other authority, but in practice, the Prime Minister has repeatedly stepped in to speak on the Commission’s behalf, explain its failures, defend its actions, and even secure external technical assistance from regional bodies. Earlier this month, the Prime Minister announced the government had formally requested support from the Commonwealth Secretariat, Organization of American States, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and CARICOM to address operational shortfalls — a step that Nassief says should have been taken publicly by the independent Commission itself, not the head of government. When the Prime Minister acts as the Commission’s default intermediary, advocate and facilitator, Nassief writes, it creates an unavoidable impression of dependence, not the constitutionally mandated independence the public demands.
Structural weaknesses have compounded these performance failures. Former Caribbean judge Sir Dennis Byron previously recommended that the Commission expand its membership beyond political party representatives to include independent voices from civil society, academia, religious groups and the business sector, and add at least one female member. That reform has never been implemented, leaving the body structurally unbalanced and less able to build broad public trust.
When pressed at the May 5 press conference on whether the public perceives the current Commission as impartial, the Prime Minister declined to answer. Nassief says the honest answer is no — and that this lack of perceived legitimacy is itself reason enough for a reset. He is calling for the full Commission and sitting CEO to resign, or at a minimum for the Commission Chair and CEO to be replaced to rebuild trust ahead of the election.
Nassief also draws attention to a 2024 controversy over the CEO appointment, when all five sitting members of the Commission unanimously recommended reinstating former CEO Ian Michael Anthony, a recommendation that the government rejected in favor of appointing the current incumbent. Anthony, who served as CEO from 2017 to 2024, holds a law degree, a qualification in legislative drafting, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Electoral Policy and Administration. He has also served as an election observer with the Commonwealth Observer Group in multiple regional elections as recently as 2026 in Antigua, making him exceptionally well-qualified for the role, Nassief argues. He is calling for Anthony to be reinstated as CEO, and for a new independent chair — such as a retired Dominican judge — to take over leadership of the Commission.
Closing the letter, Nassief emphasizes that the call for reform is rooted in concern for the country’s democratic future, not political malice. “Dominica needs a way forward that can restore public confidence before the next general election, and that begins with accepting that the present arrangement has failed,” he writes. If the Prime Minister acts now to reset the Commission’s leadership, Nassief says, the public will have an opportunity to rebuild trust in the electoral process, leading to higher voter participation and a legitimate outcome that all Dominicans can accept. “This is the moment to do what is right for the country: restore confidence, protect the integrity of the process, and help heal the nation by ensuring that the institutions administering our elections are not only independent, but seen by all to be independent,” Nassief concludes.
The letter includes a disclaimer that the views expressed are those of author Gregor Nassief alone, and do not represent the positions of Duravision Inc., Dominica News Online, or any of their subsidiary brands.
