Businessman Gregor Nassief calls for a reset of Dominica’s Electoral Commission

Businessman Gregor Nassief has called for a reset of Dominica’s Electoral Commission, arguing that the body has failed to properly implement electoral laws and restore public confidence in the country’s electoral system.In an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, Nassief contended that the Commission’s handling of electoral reform and voter confirmation processes has raised concerns about legitimacy, transparency, and institutional independence ahead of the next general election. 

According to Nassief, figures presented by the Prime Minister during a May 5, 2026 press conference showed that only 6,592 voter confirmation applications had been approved by April 30. He argued that if Dominica’s voting-age population is estimated at about 55,000 residents, the approved applications represent fewer than 12 percent of eligible voters, despite only four and a half months remaining before October 15, 2026. 

Nassief maintained that institutions responsible for safeguarding democracy must not only be independentbut also be perceived by the public as independent. He suggested that both the Electoral Commission and the Chief Elections Officer should resign, or at minimum that the Chairman of the Commission and the Chief Elections Officer be replaced in an effort to rebuild confidence before the next election. 

He further accused the Commission of presiding over a 355-day suspension of continuous voter registration between March 19, 2025 and March 9, 2026, which he described as a violation of the constitutional rights of eligible citizens to register as voters. Nassief also argued that the electoral reform process has stalled, noting that while more than 16,000 applications had reportedly been received by April 30, nearly 10,000 applicants remained unconfirmed after six and a half months. He pointed out that no confirmed voters had yet received voter identification cards and claimed that the Electoral Office was only expected to begin issuing the cards several weeks later.