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Dominica Freedom Party

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dominica Freedom Party
LeaderBernard Hurtault
FoundedOctober 1968
IdeologyConservatism
Political positionCentre-right to right-wing
Regional affiliationCaribbean Democrat Union
House of Assembly
0 / 21
Website
http://www.dfpda.com/about.html

The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) is a conservative political party in Dominica. It shares much of the same socially and economically conservative principles as the Conservative Party in the UK.[1] The party has been led by Bernard Hurtault[2] since 2021.

History

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The founders of Dominica Freedom Party in 1968 included Eugenia Charles, Elkin Henry, Anthony Moise, Eustace Francis, Robert Allfrey, Phyllis Allfrey, E. C. Loblack, Edward Scobie, Loftus Roberts, Antony Agar, Star Lestrade and Martin Sorhaindo.[3] The DFP was led by Dame Eugenia Charles from 1972 until 1995.[4] She became Prime Minister in 1980 and served until her 1995 retirement. Following her resignation as party leader and the defeat of the DFP in the 1995 elections by the United Workers' Party, she was succeeded by Brian Alleyne.

In 1996, Charles Savarin became the leader of the DFP. He had presided over the continuing decline of the DFP following the 2000 general election. Despite this the party still holds a degree of influence due to its accommodation with the DLP government. Even after losing all its seats and the DLP winning enough seats to form a government on their own, the DLP leader and prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit appointed Savarin as a senator and gave him the key post of foreign minister. Many members of the DFP have criticized Savarin for his continued support for their erstwhile foes, the DLP.

During the previous elections held on 31 January 2000, the party won two of the 21 popularly elected seats with 13.6% of votes cast. The party subsequently joined a coalition government with the Dominica Labour Party (DLP), with the DLP not having enough seats to form a government on their own.

The party lost all of its seats in the House of Assembly at 2005 general election, held on 5 May 2005. This was the first time since 1975 that the DFP was not elected in any seats. The party garnered 3.15% of votes cast.

However on 5 August 2007 a new executive was elected, with businessman Michael Astaphan being elected as political Leader.[5]

In 2022 Dominican general election, DFP decided to boycott the election., which in result Dominica Labour Party secured 19 out of 21 seats.[6]

In recent years, the DFP has expressed concerns over national issues. For example, they have been vocal about the impact of the UK's decision to impose travel restrictions on Dominican nationals, linking it to alleged issues with Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment Program (CBI). The party criticized the current administration's management of the program and called for immediate action to address the concerns raised by the UK and other nations.[7]

Leadership

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International affiliations

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The Dominica Freedom Party is affiliated with the Caribbean Democrat Union[9] and the International Democrat Union[10]

Electoral history

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House of Assembly elections

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Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Result
1970 Eugenia Charles 7,578 38.3%
2 / 11
 Increase 2 Increase 2nd Opposition
1975 6,920 32.4%
3 / 21
 Increase 1 Steady 2nd Opposition
1980 15,706 51.3%
17 / 21
 Increase14 Increase 1st Supermajority government
1985 18,865 56.7%
15 / 21
 Decrease 2 Steady 1st Supermajority government
1990 16,529 49.4%
11 / 21
 Decrease 4 Steady 1st Majority government
1995 Brian Alleyne[1] 13,317 35.8%
5 / 21
 Decrease 6 Decrease 2nd Opposition
2000 Charles Savarin 4,858 13.6%
2 / 21
 Decrease 3 Decrease 3rd DFP–DLP coalition government
2005 1,194 3.15%
0 / 21
 Decrease 2 Steady 3rd Extra-parliamentary
2009 Judith Pestaina 866 2.39%
0 / 21
 Steady Steady 3rd Extra-parliamentary
2014 Michael Astaphan Did not contest[11] Extra-parliamentary
2019 Kent Vital Endorsed United Workers' Party[12] Extra-parliamentary
2022 Bernard Hurtault Boycotted[13] Extra-parliamentary

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "About". Dominica Freedom Party.
  2. ^ "People". Dominica Freedom Party.
  3. ^ Myers, Robert A. (1987). "A Resource Guide to Dominica, 1493-1986". Human Relations Area Files.
  4. ^ "Dame Mary Eugenia Charles". www.uwicaricom.org. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Michael Astaphan to lead the Dominica Freedom Party" Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine, Dominicanewsdesk.com, 9 August 2007.
  6. ^ MacDonald, Scott B.; English, Alejandro Trenchi (15 December 2022). "Dominica Votes Amid Fears of Democratic Backsliding". Global Americans.
  7. ^ "DFP Calls for immediate action to revamp Dominica's CBI Program – DOM767".
  8. ^ a b "DFP statement on the resignation of Kent Vital; Bernard Hurtault becomes interim political leader". Dominica News Online. 26 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Caribbean Democrat Union". International Democrat Union. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Member Parties". International Democrat Union. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  11. ^ "No general election for DFP". Dominica News Online. 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  12. ^ "Dominica General Election Results 2019". www.caribbeanelections.com. Archived from the original on 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  13. ^ "Another opposition party to boycott snap poll in Dominica". Jamaica Gleaner. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
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