July 9 by-elections for Dominica

 ROSEAU – Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit Monday named July 9 as the date for the by-elections in two constituencies, one month after the Speaker of the Dominica parliament, Alix Boyd Knights, declared the seats of two opposition legislators vacant.In a radio and television broadcast, Skerrit said that he had advised President Dr. Nicholas J.O Liverpool “to inform the country of the issuance of writs for the holding of by-elections to fill the vacant seats of Marigot and Salisbury.“These by-elections are unfortunate but they are necessary in our quest to uphold the provisions of the constitution,” Skerrit said.  Nomination Day will be on June 21.  The two seats were won by members of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) in last December’s general election. But the legislators, including former prime minister Edison James, have been boycotting the parliament over what they claim to be irregularities in the general election that was won handsomely by Skerrit’s Dominica Labour Party (DLP).(CMC)