Dominica Labour Party
Encyclopedia
The Dominica Labour Party is a social-democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...

 political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...

.

History

Founded in 1955 by Phyllis Shand Allfrey
Phyllis Shand Allfrey
Phyllis Byam Shand Allfrey was a West Indian writer, socialist activist, newspaper editor and politician of the island of Dominica in the Caribbean....

 and Emmanuel Christopher Loblack
Emmanuel Christopher Loblack
Emmanuel Christopher Loblack O.B.E. was a Dominican trade unionist and politician.-Trade union:Loblack was raised in Grand Bay, Dominica...

, it is the oldest political party in Dominica. It first contested general elections in 1961
Dominican general election, 1961
General elections were held in Dominica on 17 January 1961. The result was a victory for the Dominica Labour Party, which won 7 of the 11 seats. Voter turnout was 76.9%.-Results:...

, winning seven of the eleven seats. In the next elections
Dominican general election, 1966
General elections were held in Dominica on 7 January 1966. The result was a victory for the Dominica Labour Party, which won 10 of the 11 seats. Voter turnout was 80.3%.-Results:...

 in 1966 it won all but one of the seats. It retained power in the 1970 elections
Dominican general election, 1970
General elections were held in Dominica on 26 October 1970. The result was a victory for the Dominica Labour Party, which won 8 of the 11 seats. Voter turnout was 81.6%.-Results:...

, although it was reduced to eight seats. A fourth consecutive victory was achieved in the 1975 elections
Dominican general election, 1975
General elections were held in Dominica on 24 March 1975. The result was a victory for the Dominica Labour Party, which won 16 of the 21 seats. Voter turnout was 79.0%.-Results:...

 when it won 16 of the 21 seats.

In 1980
Dominican general election, 1980
General elections were held in Dominica on 21 July 1980. The result was a victory for the Dominica Freedom Party, which won 17 of the 21 seats, whilst the ruling Dominica Labour Party lost all 16 seats after nineteen years in power. Voter turnout was 80.2%....

 the party suffered a major defeat, seeing its vote share reduced from 50% to 17%, and losing all its seats as the Dominica Freedom Party
Dominica Freedom Party
The Dominica Freedom Party is a conservative political party in Dominica.The party lost all of its seats in the House of Assembly at 2005 general election, held on 5 May 2005. This was the first time since 1975 that the DFP was not elected in any seats...

 won the elections. It regained five seats in the 1985 elections
Dominican general election, 1985
General elections were held in Dominica on 1 July 1985. The result was a victory for the Dominica Freedom Party, which won 15 of the 21 seats. Voter turnout was 74.6%.-Results:...

, losing one in 1990
Dominican general election, 1990
General elections were held in Dominica on 28 May 1990. The result was a victory for the Dominica Freedom Party, which won 11 of the 21 seats. Voter turnout was 66.6%, the lowest since universal suffrage was introduced in 1951.-Results:...

 and gaining one in 1995
Dominican general election, 1995
General elections were held in Dominica on 12 June 1995. Although the Dominica Freedom Party received the most votes, the United Workers' Party won 11 of the 21 seats. Voter turnout was 65.2%, the lowest since universal suffrage was introduced in 1951....

. In the elections
Dominican general election, 2000
General elections were held in Dominica on 31 January 2000 and saw the Dominica Labour Party led by Rosie Douglas take power defeating the previous government of the United Workers' Party led by Edison James, despite the UWP receiving more votes. The DLP won 10 seats, the UWP 9 seats and the...

 the party regained power for the first time since 1975, winning 10 of the 21 seats and forming a coalition with the DFP, after which Rosie Douglas
Rosie Douglas
Roosevelt Bernard Douglas was a Dominican politician. In 2000 he was prime minister of the Caribbean island for eight months, from 3 February 2000 until his death later that year....

 became Prime Minister. However, on 1 October 2000 Douglas died suddenly after only a few months in office and was replaced by Pierre Charles
Pierre Charles
Pierre Charles was Prime Minister of Dominica from 2000 to 2004 as well as Member of Parliament for Grand Bay, Dominica from 1985 until his death. He was born in Grand Bay in Saint Patrick parish. He began his high school education at the Dominica Grammar School and completed it at the St...

. On 6 January 2004, Charles, who had been suffering from heart problems since 2003, also died. Foreign Minister Osborne Riviere
Osborne Riviere
Francis Osborne Riviere is a former Foreign Minister of Dominica. He became the foreign minister in 2001, replacing the prime minister, Pierre Charles. He acted as Prime Minister in November 2003, after Pierre Charles was taken ill. Charles died on January 6, 2004...

 acted as Prime Minister, until Education Minister Roosevelt Skerrit
Roosevelt Skerrit
Roosevelt Skerrit is a Dominican politician who has been Prime Minister of Dominica since 2004; he has also been the Member of Parliament for the Vieille Case constituency since 2000...

 was named political leader of the party and sworn in as Prime Minister.

In the 2005 elections
Dominican general election, 2005
The 2005 Dominican General election was held in Dominica on 5 May 2005. After a hard campaign the Dominica Labour Party was re-elected winning a majority of seats...

 the party won 12 seats and remained in office. A third consecutive victory was achived in 2009
Dominican general election, 2009
A parliamentary election was held in Dominica on 18 December 2009, to elect the 21 Representatives of the House of Assembly. The incumbent Dominica Labour Party increased its majority to 18 of 21 seats, winning a third term.-Key:...

, when they won 18 of the 21 seats.
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