A prominent Dominican figure has reignited public debate over the integrity of the country’s electoral system with a scathing open letter calling for immediate leadership changes at the Electoral Commission, amid widespread allegations that the body has failed to uphold its constitutional independence and accountability.
In the public correspondence addressed to the Prime Minister of Dominica, Gregor Nassief lays out a series of damning failures that he argues have eroded public trust in the commission’s ability to oversee free and fair elections, framing the current situation as a fundamental threat to the island nation’s democratic process.
Nassief opens by noting a broad consensus across Dominican society that the current commission lacks perceived impartiality and requires a full reset to restore credibility. He pushes back against claims that the Prime Minister lacks the constitutional authority to facilitate this change, pointing out that under Section 119(3) of Dominica’s constitution, both the commission chair Duncan Stowe and the sitting Chief Elections Officer can voluntarily submit their resignations to the President, clearing the way for new, independent appointments. Nassief argues that the Prime Minister’s own history of interfering in commission affairs undermines any claim that he cannot act to prompt these resignations. He cites the recent case where the Prime Minister directly instructed the commission to reinstate birth certificates as a valid form of voter identification – a step many Dominicans supported in outcome, but one that Nassief acknowledges was procedurally unconstitutional.
This contradiction, he argues, goes to the heart of the current crisis: because the commission has failed to assert its constitutionally mandated independence, the Prime Minister has repeatedly stepped outside his own constitutional bounds to intervene in its work. It is therefore inconsistent for the Prime Minister to now hide behind constitutional limits to avoid pushing for leadership changes, Nassief contends.
The letter lays out specific changes Nassief is calling for: the reinstatement of Ian Michael Anthony as Chief Elections Officer, in line with a unanimous 2024 commission recommendation that has never been acted on, and the voluntary resignation of current chair Duncan Stowe. Nassief notes he has already privately shared with the Prime Minister a shortlist of widely respected potential candidates to lead the commission, candidates he argues would be broadly accepted across Dominican society and mark a critical first step toward reasserting the body’s independence. The leadership change is especially urgent, he adds, because key structural reforms recommended by Sir Dennis Byron to address the commission’s inherent imbalance have also been ignored.
Nassief then outlines five core failures that make a reset non-negotiable:
First, the commission violated the constitution when it suspended voter registration for more than a full year. To date, neither the chair nor the chief elections officer has held a public press conference to acknowledge the breach, apologize to the public, or explain how the suspension was allowed to happen.
Second, the commission refused to publicly admit the obvious: the year-long suspension would have disenfranchised new voters and impacted outcomes of recent town and village council elections – a fact the Prime Minister himself also shockingly denied at a public press conference.
Third, the commission has again violated the intent and spirit of electoral law by failing to issue a single voter ID card, eight full months after the voter confirmation and registration process launched. Once again, no public explanation or apology has been offered by the commission’s leadership for the delay.
Fourth, the Prime Minister has repeatedly overstepped his constitutional authority by interfering in the commission’s independent mandate: speaking on its behalf, acting on its behalf, arranging unsolicited external assistance for it, issuing direct orders to adjust its regulations, and dismissing the voter registration suspension as inconsequential “water under the bridge.” Neither the Prime Minister nor the commission has acknowledged this extreme interference as a violation of constitutional separation of powers and a direct undermining of the commission’s independent authority.
Fifth, the Prime Minister has publicly set an October 14, 2026 deadline for the conclusion of the voter confirmation process, despite knowing that the law grants the independent commission full authority to extend the deadline if needed. He has never apologized for this additional overreach that further erodes the commission’s constitutional autonomy. Nassief notes the deadline is even more problematic because both the Prime Minister and the commission knew full well that the commission was completely unprepared when the new electoral bills were rushed into law in March 2025, a lack of preparation that created the unprecedented chaos plaguing the current process.
Nassief addresses personal pushback he has received since raising these concerns, noting that some of the Prime Minister’s supporters have questioned his motives, asking what grievance he holds against the Prime Minister, while others have suggested he must choose between working as a businessman and engaging in public affairs. Nassief recounts a conversation with mutual friend Floyd Capitolin, who raised that question, to which he responded by asking the same in return, with Capitolin acknowledging “it’s a fine line.” Despite claims from the Prime Minister that Nassief is acting out of malice, Nassief says most members of the public have thanked him for speaking out publicly about the crisis.
He then lays out his clear, public intentions for the push for reform, which he frames as entirely focused on strengthening Dominica’s democracy, not advancing personal or partisan interests. His four core goals are:
1. Establishing an impartial, fully independent Electoral Commission to oversee all electoral processes, so that public trust in future election results can be rebuilt.
2. Mobilizing a unified call across all political parties and civil society – including the private sector, trade unions, academia, and religious groups – to encourage all eligible voters to complete the confirmation and registration process, resulting in a credible, accurate voter list of more than 55,000 eligible voters that is accepted by all sides.
3. Encouraging strong candidates, from both established parties and independent backgrounds, to contest the next election and debate competing visions for Dominica’s future development.
4. Securing an election outcome that is universally accepted as free and fair, overseen by an independent, impartial commission, and that accurately reflects the free will of the Dominican people.
Nassief concludes by acknowledging that current political conditions favor the Prime Minister winning re-election in the upcoming vote. He poses a critical choice to the Prime Minister: will he allow the election to proceed with the current flawed commission, resulting in a victory clouded by public disillusionment and widespread doubts about the fairness of the process? Or will he seize the opportunity to implement a reset, securing a victory backed by renewed public confidence in Dominica’s democratic institutions?
“As the arbitrator of all things in Dominica, the reset is entirely in your hands,” Nassief writes. “I appeal to you to act.”
The letter carries a disclaimer that the views expressed are solely those of author Gregor Nassief, and do not necessarily reflect the position of Duravision Inc., Dominica News Online, or any of their subsidiary brands.
