Dominica
Island in the E Caribbean, between Guadeloupe and Martinique, the largest
of the Windward Islands, with the Atlantic Ocean to the E and the Caribbean
Sea to the W.
Government
Dominica is an independent republic within the Commonwealth. The constitution
dates from independence 1978 and provides for a single-chamber, 30-member
house of assembly. Twenty-one are representatives elected by universal
suffrage, and nine are appointed senators, five on the advice of the
prime minister and four on the advice of the leader of the opposition.
The assembly serves a five-year term, as does the president, who is
elected by it and acts as constitutional head of state, appointing the
prime minister on the basis of assembly support. The prime minister
chooses the cabinet, and all are responsible to the assembly.
History
The island was inhabited by the Amerindian Caribs at the time Christopher
Columbus visited it 1493 (since Columbus arrived at the island on a
Sunday, he named it Dominica). It became a British possession in the
18th century and was part of the Leeward Islands federation until 1939.
In 1940 it was transferred to the Windward Islands and remained attached
to that group until 1960, when it was given separate status, with a
chief minister and legislative council.
In 1961 the leader of the Dominica Labour Party (DLP), Edward le Blanc,
became chief minister; after 13 years in office he retired and was succeeded
as prime minister by Patrick John. The DLP held office until full independence
was achieved 1978, at which time its leader, John, became the first
prime minister under the new constitution. Opposition to John's increasingly
authoritarian style of government soon developed, and in the 1980 elections
the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) won a convincing victory on a free-
enterprise programme. Its leader, Eugenia Charles, became the Caribbean's
first woman prime minister.
In 1981 John was thought to be implicated in a plot against the government,
and a state of emergency was imposed. The next year he was tried and
acquitted. He was retried 1985, found guilty, and given a 12-year prison
sentence. Left -of-centre parties regrouped, making the new Labour Party
of Dominica (LPD) the main opposition to the DFP. Eugenia Charles was
re-elected 1985, and, with a reduced majority, 1990. She resigned as
leader of the DFP Aug 1993 but continued as prime minister. The 1995
general election was won by the United Workers' Party and its leader,
Edison James, was appointed prime minister. Brian Alleyne became the
new DFP leader.
Foreign Relations
Under Eugenia Charles's leadership, Dominica developed links with France
and the USA and in 1983 sent a small force to participate in the US-backed
invasion of Grenada. In 1991 representatives of Dominica, St Lucia,
St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada proposed federal integration
of the Windward Islands and a draft constitution was produced but not
implemented.
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