 Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica conventional short form:Dominica
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name:Roseaugeographic coordinates:15 18 N, 61 24 W time difference:UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter
Independence:
3 November 1978 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 November (1978)
Constitution:
previous 1967 (preindependence); latest presented 25 July 1978, entered into force 3 November 1978; amended several times, last in 1984 (2011)
Legal system:
common law based on the English model
International law organization participation:
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:President Charles A. SAVARIN (since 2 October 2013)head of government:Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004) cabinet:Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections:president elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term; election last held on 30 September 2013 (next to be held in October 2018); prime minister appointed by the president election results:Charles A. SAVARIN elected president by a vote of 19-0 on 30 September 2013
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly (32 seats; 9 members appointed, 21 elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 1 speaker elected from among persons who are not members of the House, responsible for the management and general administration of the House, and one ex-officio Clerk of the House)elections:last held on 18 December 2009 (next to be held in 2015); note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five years of the last election, but technically it is five years from the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace period election results:percent of vote by party - DLP 61.2%, UWP 34.9%, other 3.9%; seats by party - DLP 18, UWP 3
| | Judicial branch:
highest court(s):The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to include Dominica; the ECSC - based on St. Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and is comprised of the Court of Appeal with 3 justices and the High Court with 16 judges; sittings of the Court of Appeal and High Court rotate among the 9 member states; 2 High Court judges reside in Dominica; note - Dominica is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justicejudge selection and term of office:ECSC chief justice appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62 subordinate courts:Court of Summary Jurisdiction; magistrates' courts
Political parties and leaders:
Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Judith PESTAINA]Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT] Dominica United Workers Party or UWP [Hector JOHN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)
International organization participation:
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, Commonwealth of Nations, ECCU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Hubert J. CHARLES (since 16 July 2010)chancery:3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone:[1] (202) 364-6781 FAX:[1] (202) 364-6791 consulate(s) general:New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
name:'Isle of Beauty'
 lyrics/music:Wilfred Oscar Morgan POND/Lemuel McPherson CHRISTIAN note:adopted 1967 |