Dr Fontaine re-elected leader of Dominica’s opposition party

Economist, Dr  Thomson Fontaine has been re-elected as the political leader of the main opposition United Workers Party even as he acknowledged that his first stint had been hampered by his prolonged absence from Dominica.

Fontaine, who for the past four years, has been employed as an economic and international policy adviser to the government of South Sudan, was re-elected at the party’s conference held at Marigot, northeast of here on Sunday night.

Former party leader and opposition leader, Lennox Linton was re-elected to the position of party president.

“I am humbled by the decision of the delegates despite the obvious challenge that was pointed out in terms of my absence. I am delighted that they still gave me that opportunity to lead the party.

“I think I was able to persuade them that we can do this together (and) that at the end of the day it is about giving Dominica good representation, it’s about challenging a government that has not worked for the people of Dominica,” said the former employee of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“I am really excited tonight. I am delighted to get to work and …my focus in this coming year will be of course will be on the constituencies, rebuilding the base of the party, put in place party structures, build our youth arm, build our women’s arm…and as well we have to keep the pressure on electoral reform”.

The Roosevelt Skerrit government has received the report of Sir Dennis Byron, the one-man Commission that had been appointed to examine the constitutional reform issue here.  The report has been circulate here with the government indicating that it wanted to bring the matter before the Parliament as soon as possible.

The UWP had boycotted the last general election held last December over election reform issues.

Fontaine, who is due to appear before a High Court here on a 2022 charge of inciting violence and obstruction of justice in connection to the February 7, 2017, riot in the city of Roseau, said unity is also needed among members of the party going forward.

“In my speech I shared the need for us to be as a united party. Obviously, everybody can’t agree on everything, but I think at the end of the day we need to understand that the only way we are going to make this is if we stand united,” said Fontaine.