Long-form name: Commonwealth of Dominica

Type: independent state within Commonwealth

Capital: Roseau

Administrative divisions: 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter

Independence: 3 November 1978 (from UK)

Constitution: 3 November 1978

Legal system: based on English common law; three local magistrate courts and the British Caribbean Court of Appeals

National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1978)

Branches: legislative--31-member bicameral House of Assembly (1 ex officio member, 9 appointed members, and 21 popularly elected members); executive--Cabinet headed by prime minister; judicial--magistrate's courts and regional court of appeals

Leaders: @m5Chief of State--President Sir Clarence Augustus SEIGNORET (since 19 December 1983); @m5Head of Government--Prime Minister (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES (since 21 July 1980)

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: every five years; last held 2 July 1985

Political parties and leaders: Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia Charles; Labor Party of Dominica (LPD, a leftist-dominated coalition), Michael Douglas; United Workers Party (UWP), Edison James

Voting strength: (1985 election) House of Assembly seats--DFP 17, LPD 4

Communists: negligible

Other political or pressure groups: Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a small leftist group

Member of: CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT (de facto), G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, OAS, OECS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador McDonald P. BENJAMIN; there is no Chancery in the US; US--Ambassador (vacant); the US has no official presence in Dominica, since the Ambassador and Embassy staff reside in Bridgetown (Barbados), but travel frequently to Dominica

Flag: green with a centered cross of three equal bands--the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white--the horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)

NOTE: The information regarding Dominica on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Dominica Government 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Dominica Government 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.