标签： Dominica

Ahead of the upcoming Roseau North by-election, the leader of Dominica’s main opposition United Workers Party (UWP) has ignited fresh controversy over the country’s electoral process, accusing the national Electoral Office of intentionally disenfranchising young eligible voters. Dr. Thomson Fontaine, head of the UWP, made the claims in a public statement posted to his official Facebook page on July 27, alleging that at least two Dominican students completing their higher education overseas were improperly turned away when they attempted to complete their first-time voter registration.

According to Fontaine’s account, the two eligible students traveled back to Dominica specifically to submit their registration applications, as required by protocol, but their submissions were rejected outright by Electoral Office staff. Fontaine pointed out that both students are widely assumed to support the UWP based on the political affiliations of their families, suggesting their rejection was no accidental administrative error.

“This is clearly an attempt by the EO to manipulate the voters’ list,” Fontaine wrote in his post, directly claiming the decision was driven by partisan political motivation. To back up his allegation that the students wrongfully rejected, he cited a clear provision in Dominica’s existing electoral legislation that outlines special rules for overseas students registering to vote. Under Article 7(2)(b) of the national Electoral Act, any individual that is classified as a bona fide full-time student studying outside of Dominica is legally exempt from the standard residency requirement that applies to most first-time voters. The legislation explicitly states that these students are deemed to retain their residency in the polling district where their family home is located, meaning their time spent abroad cannot be used to disqualify their registration.

Fontaine emphasized that this legal provision eliminates any ground for the Electoral Office to reject the students’ applications, and called on electoral authorities to end what he described as targeted disenfranchisement of young opposition-leaning voters. “Please stop attempting to disenfranchise our young voters,” he concluded his statement.

As of July 28, the Electoral Office has not issued any public response to address Fontaine’s specific allegations. The controversy comes amid ongoing preparations for the high-stakes Roseau North by-election. In recent public communications, electoral officials have urged Dominican residents to get all information about registration and voting directly from the Electoral Office, warning against unconfirmed misinformation spreading across social media platforms. The Office has also repeatedly reaffirmed its public commitment to running the upcoming by-election in a secure, transparent, and fully accountable manner, free from partisan interference.

Haiti’s long journey toward reestablishing stable constitutional rule has reached a landmark turning point, after the country’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) released a detailed timeline for upcoming general elections — a move that has earned formal praise from a top Caribbean diplomatic task force.

Created in May 2023 under the umbrella of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) functions as a high-level diplomatic body dedicated to addressing Haiti’s deepening political and security crisis. The group draws on decades of regional leadership experience, counting three former heads of government among its ranks: Dr. Kenny Anthony of Saint Lucia, Perry Christie of The Bahamas, and Bruce Golding of Jamaica. Its core mandate centers on facilitating inclusive cross-party political dialogue, forging consensus on urgent security priorities, and supporting Haitian-led efforts to rebuild functional democratic institutions and restore constitutional governance.

Earlier this year, the EPG made the decision to delay a planned on-the-ground visit to Haiti, noting that the team would hold off on travel to continue monitoring rapidly shifting political developments in the country. That posture of cautious observation shifted with the CEP’s publication of the electoral calendar, which the EPG described as a critical breakthrough that brings much-needed clarity to a process that has remained uncertain for years for both Haitian political actors and the broader international community.

Under the newly released timetable, the first round of voting is set to take place on December 13, 2026. Ballots will be cast to select a new president, fill all seats in the national legislature, and approve a package of proposed constitutional reforms. The calendar lays out clear timelines for all key pre-election preparatory steps, including the registration of political parties, individual candidates, electoral coalitions and platforms, as well as a national voter registration drive to update Haitian electoral rolls ahead of polling day.

In its official statement, the EPG underlined that sustained coordination between the CEP and every sector of Haitian society will be indispensable to keeping the electoral process on track. The group issued a formal call to all political parties, civil society organizations, community leaders and other national stakeholders to engage actively in the process, uphold procedural rules, and work collectively to ensure all electoral requirements are fully met before voting begins.

Successful inclusive preparation, the EPG argued, will clear the way for Haitian citizens to exercise their democratic right to choose their next government in a free, fair and credible process, laying the groundwork for the full restoration of constitutional order in a country that has operated without elected governance for years.

The task force also joined the CEP in highlighting a critical unmet need: dramatic improvements to national security before election preparations advance much further. A secure, stable environment is non-negotiable for a credible electoral process, the group stressed, and it called on all nations contributing troops and police to the multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) to accelerate deployment of their personnel to Haiti. Early deployment of the GSF, the EPG noted, would allow international security assistance to take root and expand well in advance of the December 2026 first round voting, creating the secure conditions needed for a smooth election.

In closing, the EPG emphasized that parallel progress on two interconnected tracks will make or break Haiti’s democratic transition: steady advancement of electoral preparations, and concrete improvements to national security. Both are essential to delivering a credible election that sets Haiti on a sustainable path toward restored democratic rule.

As Dominica gears up for its upcoming by-election, the island nation’s top electoral official is sounding the alarm over circulating false claims surrounding the critical voter confirmation process, urging residents to only trust official updates from the Electoral Office.

Chief Elections Officer Anthea Joseph’s public warning follows a recent official statement from the Electoral Office, released to address growing public concerns about the voter confirmation procedure. In that initial release, the body clarified a common misconception circulating in public discourse: no voter can complete their confirmation simply by submitting paperwork remotely. Instead, every eligible voter must appear in person at a designated confirmation center, accompanied by a witness to complete the process.

The official statement also outlined the full, mandatory steps required for confirmation: identity verification, formal document checks, the capture of an updated voter photograph, and the collection of an electronic signature. Only after all these steps are completed successfully will a voter’s information be added to the national central voter database.

Speaking in a follow-up statement released this week, Joseph emphasized that members of the public should exercise extreme caution when encountering unvetted claims about the electoral process online or through unofficial channels.

“We are aware that as we approach the by-election, a significant amount of fake news will circulate,” Joseph noted. “That is why the Electoral Office maintains a dedicated public website where we publish all official, up-to-date information for the public, and we operate with full transparency. We do our utmost to answer every question the public raises, and we remain open, impartial and ready to address any queries residents may have.”

Joseph explicitly encouraged voters to treat the Electoral Office as their only primary source of election-related information, rather than turning to unconfirmed social media posts or third-party reports that have not been vetted by electoral authorities.

“We want people to rely on authentic information released directly by the Electoral Office, not false news, to guide them,” she explained. “Misinformation of this kind is designed to sow doubt among voters and dissuade people from visiting confirmation centers to exercise their electoral rights.”

The chief electoral officer also issued a direct appeal to any voter with questions or concerns about the confirmation process to reach out to the Electoral Office directly for official clarification, rather than trusting unofficial accounts.

Joseph added, “So please, we are asking people to contact our office directly if you have any query or question at all.”

Going into the by-election, the Electoral Office has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to providing accurate, accessible information to all voters, and ensuring the entire voter confirmation process is carried out in a secure, transparent, and fully accountable manner that upholds the integrity of Dominica’s electoral process.

As Dominica prepares for the upcoming Roseau North by-election and subsequent national general elections, the leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Joshua Francis, has formally raised urgent concerns about expanding misinformation targeting the confidentiality of the voting process, calling on the country’s top election official to launch a widespread public education initiative to counter the false narratives.

In an official letter addressed to Chief Elections Officer Anthea Joseph, Francis alleges that baseless claims disputing the secrecy of ballots have already begun to stir widespread anxiety among registered voters. He warns that this climate of fear could ultimately depress voter turnout and undermine the foundations of the country’s democratic process by discouraging electors from exercising their constitutional right to participate.

Francis is pushing the Electoral Office to disseminate accessible public materials, including educational bulletins and official announcements, that clearly outline voters’ legal rights and reaffirm the ironclad confidentiality built into the country’s voting procedures. “I submit this letter in quest of soliciting your good office to drive public awareness on the ‘secrecy of the ballot’ and ‘choice of voting’, and to deflate, if not eliminate the calculated misinformation that there isn’t secrecy in voting,” Francis wrote in the correspondence.

Beyond public education, Francis is also demanding that the Chief Elections Officer issue a formal public denunciation of what he frames as coordinated voter suppression, intimidation and coercive tactics targeting electors. He notes that such intimidation tactics are not new: during previous electoral cycles, bad actors have circulated threatening claims including “we will know who you vote for” and “we have spies embedded at polling stations” to force voters to back preferred candidates.

Francis emphasized that all election officials and relevant stakeholders carry a binding legal obligation to protect ballot secrecy under the nation’s laws. Any violation of this requirement, he argues, should trigger a full official investigation and, where evidence supports action, prosecution in line with the 2025 House of Assembly Act.

For Francis, the fundamental right to a secret ballot is non-negotiable to the function of a healthy democracy. This core principle, he explains, shields voters from undue pressure and coercion, while preserving public trust in the integrity of the entire electoral system. “The right to cast a secret ballot in a public election is a core value in our democracy and system of self-governance,” Francis stated. “And secrecy and privacy in elections guard against coercion and are supposed to protect the integrity in the electoral process.”

Concluding his letter, Francis expressed cautious optimism that the Electoral Office would move forward with his requests. He noted that expanded public education around voting procedures and ballot confidentiality would go a long way toward clearing up common misconceptions, reduce voter anxiety, and ultimately strengthen public confidence in the fairness of upcoming elections.

Ahead of the upcoming Roseau North constituency by-election, the Dominica Business Forum (DBF), a non-partisan non-profit organization, has finalized and published binding guidelines for a structured public candidate discussion scheduled for Wednesday, July 29. The event, which will run from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Dominica China Friendship Hospital Auditorium, marks a return to organized electoral candidate exchanges after more than 20 years of absence in the country.

Three candidates contesting the open constituency seat have all received official invitations to join the discussion: Danny Lugay representing the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP), Ashma McDougal of the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP), and Sherman Boston, who is running as an independent candidate. DBF organizers have stressed that the gathering is framed as an educational idea exchange, not a confrontational political debate, with a core goal of fostering respectful engagement between candidates and the electorate.

The published rules outline a structured, fair process designed to ensure equal speaking time for all participants. Candidates will draw lots to determine the order of their opening remarks, with each candidate allocated exactly seven minutes to lay out their policy priorities and campaign plans for the constituency and the broader nation. Following the opening presentations, moderators will ask each candidate one targeted follow-up question. Pre-selected audience members will then have the opportunity to pose questions, with each candidate guaranteed to receive the same number of questions from the public. Individual audience questions are capped at one minute, and candidates will have up to three minutes to deliver each response.

To maintain the event’s civil tone, the DBF has implemented strict prohibitions: direct arguments between candidates, personal attacks, and character assassination are all explicitly banned. All questions and comments must be routed through the event’s moderators, and each audience member may only pose one question or make one brief statement, with no opportunity for additional follow-up. Applause is only permitted during the opening introduction of candidates and at the close of the entire discussion. Any attendee who disrupts proceedings or violates the established guidelines will be asked to leave the venue immediately, and organizers have committed to wrapping up the full event within the scheduled two-hour window.

The full agenda for the evening follows a formal, structured flow: it opens with the playing of the national anthem, an opening prayer, a welcome address, opening remarks from DBF leadership, the introduction of moderators and candidates, the candidate presentations and audience Q&A segment, closing remarks, and a formal vote of thanks. Two experienced local broadcast journalists, Kaywana Fontaine-Wilson and Matthias Peltier Jr., have been selected to serve as co-moderators, and the DBF has confirmed that both will oversee the discussion with strict impartiality.

DBF leadership noted that the discussion was organized in response to longstanding calls for greater electoral transparency and public engagement. The organization says it hopes this event will reestablish the tradition of structured, respectful candidate exchanges that has not been seen in Dominica’s electoral process for over two decades, giving voters a direct opportunity to assess each candidate’s positions before they cast their ballots.

As public questions have emerged about protocols at voter confirmation centers across the Caribbean nation, the Electoral Office of Dominica has moved to formally outline its step-by-step confirmation process and address widespread concerns about procedural integrity ahead of upcoming electoral activities.

In an official public statement released this week, the agency emphatically clarified one non-negotiable rule: the voter confirmation process cannot be finalized through document submission alone. For a voter’s registration status to be updated and confirmed, their physical attendance at an official confirmation center is a mandatory requirement, the Office stressed.

Breaking down the full workflow for public awareness, the Electoral Office explained that the process kicks off when a voter arrives at a center alongside an eligible witness. First, election officials verify that both the voter and their witness are already registered voters, and confirm that the witness is registered in the same electoral district as the voter seeking confirmation.

Next, officials review the voter’s official government-issued identification documents, after which the voter fills out the required confirmation application form. The form must be co-signed by the accompanying witness before it is reviewed and officially endorsed by the center’s Enrollment Officer.

From there, the voter proceeds to a data entry station, where a dedicated officer inputs all collected information into a centralized electronic confirmation system. A key transparency measure built into the process, the Office noted, is the dual-screen setup at every confirmation station: one screen for the data entry officer, and a second visible directly to the voter, so they can oversee and review every detail as it is logged into the system.

The process does not reach completion until three final critical steps are finalized: scanning of all supporting voter documents, capture of an updated in-person photograph, and collection of the voter’s electronic signature. The agency added that the electronic system is intentionally designed with a built-in lock: no information can be saved, transmitted to central servers, or added to the official national voter database until both the photograph and electronic signature have been successfully captured.

The electronic system is structured with mandatory sequential verification steps, the Office explained, meaning no stage of the process can be skipped or bypassed to move ahead to the next step. This structural design, the agency noted, reinforces why the physical presence and active participation of the voter is non-negotiable to the entire process.

In closing, the Electoral Office offered a public assurance that the ongoing voter confirmation process is being conducted with the highest standards of security, transparency, and accountability. It reaffirmed its commitment to sharing accurate, trustworthy updates with the public at every stage of the pre-electoral process, adding that protecting the overall integrity of Dominica’s electoral system remains the agency’s top priority moving forward.