The Electoral Reform Coalition (ERC) of Dominica has marked the first anniversary of what it describes as the violent and unlawful suppression of peaceful protesters outside the country's Parliament. According to Antigua News Room, the demonstration — dubbed "Standing up for Democracy" — took place on March 19, 2025, when unarmed citizens gathered to voice opposition to the government's electoral reform bills, which were subsequently debated and passed into law.
The protesters had urged Parliament to adopt recommendations put forward by the ERC, various civil society organisations, and prominent legal figure Sir Dennis Byron. Sir Byron had been engaged and compensated to review Dominica's electoral laws, ultimately submitting comprehensive proposals and draft legislation aimed at modernising the electoral system and ensuring free and fair elections. Those recommendations represented years of sustained advocacy for meaningful reform.
The ERC stated with disappointment that the Electoral Commission, the government, and Parliament largely disregarded those proposals. In the coalition's view, this reflected a deliberate effort by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and the Electoral Commission to pass legislation without the critical reforms, thereby favouring the Dominica Labour Party and undermining citizens' ability to confirm their names on the voters' register.
As reported by Antigua News Room, Prime Minister Skerrit and National Security Minister Rayburn Blackmore are alleged to have directed police to arrest and charge twenty-five citizens under the outdated Riot Act of 1897. Some of those individuals were held overnight and, a year on, continue to face unresolved court proceedings. The ERC stressed that justice delayed is justice denied, noting that these citizens are repeatedly brought before the courts without resolution.
Despite its broader concerns, the ERC acknowledged a positive development — the Chief Elections Officer's announcement permitting citizens to use a Dominica-issued birth certificate accompanied by an endorsed passport-sized photo to confirm and register to vote.
However, the coalition expressed serious concern over the Electoral Commission's unilateral suspension of continuous voter registration, which it said violated the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica, as well as Section 17(1) of the Registration of Electors Act No. 1 of 2025. The suspension, the ERC argued, denied many eligible citizens — particularly young people — the right to register for an entire year.
While welcoming the resumption of new voter registration as of March 9, 2026, the ERC contended that public outreach efforts remain insufficient to encourage existing voters to confirm their status and motivate new voters to register. The coalition argued that, after years of dialogue and the passage of reform legislation, the Electoral Commission should have been far better prepared to implement the confirmation process, rather than engaging in conduct the ERC characterised as partisan.
The ERC called on the Electoral Commission and the Chief Elections Officer to take immediate and effective action to ensure a smoother voter confirmation and registration process. Chairman Johnson Boston, in closing, reaffirmed that free, fair, and transparent general elections are essential to Dominica's democracy — and that all citizens deserve nothing less.
