Businessman Gregor Nassief says pillars of Dominica’s Electoral Reform were watered down or entirely ignored

A standard reform process is usually expected to properly address systemic gaps, yet local updates reveal that the changes passed into Dominica's law left a significant divide between the recommendations and the actual legislation. 

Key pillars—including residency requirements, bribery enforcement, campaign finance rules, and the overall structure of the Electoral Commission—were significantly watered down or entirely ignored before the bills advanced. 

This outcome led to an opposition boycott of the 2022 elections, allowing the bills to pass through Parliament without any opposing votes. Although Senator Paris later attempted to introduce amendments on the House floor to close some of these legal gaps, his proposals never progressed, leaving the country with laws that fall short of what was recommended. 

Further concerns have emerged regarding the actual implementation of these new laws, which critics describe as an unconstitutional shift away from standard democratic practices. Businessman Gregor Nassief pointed out that voter registration has been suspended for a year. 

Concurrently, the country held local elections during a period when individuals were unable to register to vote. Nassief stressed that both the prolonged suspension of voter registration and conducting elections under such conditions fail to align with constitutional standards.

Prominent Businessman and Entrepreneur, Gregor Nassief.