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Delay of ID Cards and Updated Electoral List for 2015 General ElectionThe stated purpose of the Electoral Commission is "to facilitate the efficient conduct of free and fair elections in the Commonwealth of Dominica and serve the public with efficiency and impartiality". This will be done "by producing an accurate Register of Electors and achieve comprehensive voter participation in the election process". In view of the above, the Dominica Academy of Arts and Sciences (DAAS), as corporate citizen, views with serious concern the inability of the Electoral Commission to provide an updated Electoral List or Identification Cards for the upcoming General Elections scheduled for 2015. Following the 2009 General Elections the Organisation of American States (OAS) Observation Team stated and recommended as follows: "Despite an estimated population of 69,000 persons, the voter registry in Dominica contains approximately 65,000 names. While the disproportionate number can be attributed to the many Dominicans living outside the country, the list also contains names of people who have deceased or have moved out of the country and have not returned. The Mission recommends that the newly elected Government, in consultation with the Opposition and the Electoral Commission, consider the implementation of an identification card system. Providing cards to registered voters of Dominica will facilitate the complete revision and updating of the voter registry. The Mission therefore strongly recommends that voter ID cards be issued in time for the next general elections". The Dominica Academy of Arts and Sciences (DAAS) maintain that there was adequate time to implement the OAS recommendations. This delay is a travesty, and an indication of the lack of seriousness with which we treat our independence. Together with the reported political interference into the operations of the Electoral Commission, this delay may very well provoke further allegations of the denial of free and fair elections in 2015. Raglan Riviere  |