Dominica Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Commonwealth of Dominica

Type-independent state within Commonwealth

Capital: Roseau

Political subdivisions: 21 districts

Legal system: based on English common law; three local magistrate courts and the British Caribbean Court of Appeals

Branches: legislative, 51-member bicameral House of Assembly (1 ex-officio member, 9 appointed members, and 21 members popularly elected members; executive, Cabinet headed by Prime Minister; judicial, magistrate’s courts and regional court of appeals

Government leader: (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES, Prime Minister (since July 1980); Sir Clarence SEIGNORET, President (since December 1983)

Suffrage: universal adult suffrage at age 18

Elections: every five years; last held 2 July 1985

Political parties and leaders: Labor Party of Dominica (LPD, a leftist front group), Michael Douglas; Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia Charles

Voting strength: (1985 election) House of Assembly seats—DFP 15, LPD 5, independent 1

Communists: negligible

Other political or pressure groups. Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a small leftist group

Member of: CAR1COM, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT (de facto), G-77, IBRD, IDA, 1FW, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, OAS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

NOTE: The information regarding Dominica on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Dominica 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Dominica 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.