Businessman and entrepreneur Gregor Nassief has criticised the implementation of Dominica’s electoral reform legislation, arguing that several key recommendations made during the reform process were either significantly weakened or omitted before the bills were passed into law.
Speaking during a radio programme, Nassief said the final legislation differed considerably from the recommendations put forward by Sir Dennis Byron, who was appointed to review Dominica’s electoral laws and recommend reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s electoral system.
According to Nassief, important provisions relating to residency requirements, bribery and treating, campaign finance regulations, and the structure of the Electoral Commission were either diluted or left out of the legislation approved by Parliament.
“I think we’re all quite familiar with the reform process and I think we know that there was a significant gap from the recommendations that came from Sir Dennis to what was passed,” Nassief stated. “There were key areas in terms of residency and bribery and treating and campaign finance and the structure of the Electoral Commission that were significantly watered down or were not taken into account at all.“
Nassief noted that the opposition’s boycott of the 2022 general election resulted in the electoral reform bills being passed without participation from opposition members in Parliament. While he acknowledged that the new legislation represented an improvement over the previous legal framework, he argued that it did not fully reflect the recommendations made during the review process.
He also referred to subsequent efforts by Senator Delbert Paris to introduce amendments intended to strengthen aspects of the legislation. According to Nassief, those proposed amendments failed to advance, leaving what he believes are important deficiencies within the law.
Beyond the legislation itself, Nassief questioned the manner in which the reforms have been implemented. He expressed concern over the suspension of voter registration for approximately one year and argued that local government elections were conducted during a period when eligible citizens were unable to register to vote.
“We see the suspension of voter registration for a year. We see that we held local elections without people being able to register. Both of those things are not constitutional,” he said.
Nassief maintained that meaningful electoral reform extends beyond passing legislation and requires implementation that is consistent with constitutional principles and democratic best practices. He argued that the credibility of any reform process ultimately depends on both the quality of the laws and the fairness with which they are administered.
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