Governor De Jongh Congratulates Dominica’s Prime Minister On Historic Win

Outgoing Virgin Islands Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. has congratulated Roosevelt Skerrit, prime minister of Dominica, who, on Dec. 8, defeated the United Workers Party to win the election for a fourth consecutive term, making the Dominica Labor Party the first in the country’s history to have the opportunity to serve 20 years in office.

Roosevelt Skerrit being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Dominica for a fourth term. He is the first Prime Minister to achieve this milestone in Dominica.

“I congratulate the Honorable Roosevelt Skerrit on his re-election to the top post in Dominica. He is a good friend to the United States Virgin Islands and has been very helpful to our territory and its residents,” de Jongh said. “We look forward to strengthening the bonds that link our two jurisdictions, since the people of Dominica and the Virgin Islands share many similarities in heritage, culture and family ties.”

In a victory speech posted on Skerrit’s Facebook page, the Prime Minister thanked his supporters and said he was “humbled by the overwhelming response of the electorate of Dominica to our appeal for the mandate to continue to govern Dominica for another five years.”

Prime Minister Skerrit’s last visit to the territory was in 2011, when he spoke at the pre-Independence Creole Dinner and Entertainment Night held by the Dominica Association of St. Thomas, in celebration of Dominica’s anniversary of independence. In his speech back then, the Prime Minister encouraged Dominicans to hold fast to their patriotic spirit, and to remain law-abiding citizens of the Virgin Islands United States. In attendance were over 300 Dominicans who live in St. Thomas.

In Dominica, one party can rule for as long as it is successful. The Dominica Labor Party, of which Skerrit is head, won 15 of the 21 seats in parliament on Monday.

On the Sunday night preceding the election, Skerrit held a major event that was headlined by Gospel recording artist, Donnie McClurkin.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated that Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit will be serving his fourth term in office, thereby making him the first leader in Dominica’s history to accomplish the milestone, however that’s incorrect. The Dominica Labor Party will indeed be serving its fourth term after its sweeping victory on Monday, December 8, but the first leader at the helm in the year 2000, when the party took power from the United Workers Party, was Rosie Douglas, who died 8 months later on October 1. After Douglas died, Pierre Charles took leadership of the party and remained in power until he died on January 6, 2004. It was then that Skerrit was chosen to lead the Dominica Labor Party, and has been in power ever since.