Four arrested after riots in Dominica

Four people have been arrested and charged with unlawful assembly following riots in Dominica’s capital, Roseau, last week as opposition elements protested against a series of electoral reforms being debated by the island’s parliament.

Police fired teargas canisters and rubber bullets as they attempted to disperse angry opposition supporters as protesters threw rocks and other objects at police, rushed them at barricades, and generally participated in what officials said was a riotous situation. No serious injuries were reported.

Long-serving Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit condemned the action, which he said was organized by the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP), blaming it on “misinformation and deliberate agitation. What we saw yesterday was not a natural reaction to electoral reform. People around the world usually fight for electoral reform, not against it. They do not want reform. They want chaos, believing it would serve their political ambitions,” he said in a national address.

UWP supporters say they took to the streets to rail against several reform bills in the political atmosphere since 2023 following a review of local laws by former Caribbean Court of Justice Chief Judge Sir Dennis Byron.

For example, the recommendations had called for citizens living abroad to visit Dominica and ensure that their names were on the official voter’s list. The reforms also call for the issuance of new voter identification cards, the provision of electronic voting systems, and the creation of an electoral commission fund to ensure seamless operations.

The UWP charges that the groundwork is being prepared to give the governing Freedom Party an advantage in any upcoming elections, charges Skeriit has denied, saying that the UWP is the one that had been demanding reforms for years. The bill has since been passed as the government has a 19-2 majority in the house.

The party suffered a significant blow during debates when opposition lawmaker Anthony Charges voted with the government. He argued that the reforms were necessary.

“I stand for the bills to be passed. We have to start somewhere. This is about democracy. I want to put on record that I am recommending that we need to start it and I am going to be one of those who is going to start it by passing this bill today,” he said to loud thumping from the government benches.
Those arrested are to appear in court this week on misdemeanor charges.
Last week’s clashes were characterized as among the worst in local history.