Sisserou parrot, Carib Wood flower; national colors: green, yellow, black, white, red.
Title | "Isle of Beauty" |
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Lyric/music | Wilfred Oscar Morgan POND/Lemuel McPherson CHRISTIAN |
Date of Independence | 3 November 1978 (from the UK) |
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National holiday | Independence Day, 3 November (1978) |
Legal system | common law based on the English model |
International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
Constitution | |
History | Previous 1967 (preindependence); latest presented 25 July 1978, entered into force 3 November 1978 |
Amendments | Proposed by the House of Assembly; passage of amendments to constitutional sections such as fundamental rights and freedoms, the government structure, and constitutional amendment procedures requires approval by three fourths of the Assembly membership in the final reading of the amendment bill, approval by simple majority in a referendum, and assent of the president; amended several times, last in 2015 |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | yes |
Citizenship by descent only | yes |
Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | President Sylvanie BURTON (since 2 October 2023) |
Head of government | Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004) |
Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister |
Elections/appointments | president nominated by the prime minister and leader of the opposition party and elected by the House of Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 27 September 2023 (next to be held in October 2028); prime minister appointed by the president |
Election results | 2023: parliament elects Sylvanie BURTON (DLP) with 20 votes for and five against 2018: Charles A. SAVARIN (DLP) reelected president unopposedĀ |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Unicameral House of Assembly (32 seats; 21 representatives directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 9 senators appointed by the president - 5 on the advice of the prime minister, and 4 on the advice of the leader of the opposition party, plus 2 ex-officio members - the house speaker and the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms) |
Elections | Last held on 6 December 2022 (next to be held in 2027); note - tradition dictates that the election is held within 5 years of the last election, but technically it is 5 years from the first seating of parliament plus a 90-day grace period |
Election results | Percent of vote by party - DLP 82.3%, independent 16.9%; (elected) seats by party - DLP 19, independent 2; composition - men 20, women 12, percent of women 37.5% |
Judicial branch | |
Highest court(s) | The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states, with 2 in Dominica; note - in 2015, Dominica acceded to the Caribbean Court of Justice as final court of appeal, replacing that of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, in London |
Judge selection and term of office | Chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, an independent body of judicial officials; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62 |
Subordinate courts | Court of Summary Jurisdiction; magistrates' courts |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Steve FERROL (since 15 September 2023) |
Chancery | 3216 New Mexico Ave NW Washington, DC 20016 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 364-6781 |
FAX | [1] (202) 364-6791 |
Email address and website | [email protected] |
Consulate(s) general | New York |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Embassy | The US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Dominica |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 1 (natural) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Pitons Management Area |
Want to know more about Dominica? Check all different factbooks for Dominica below.