The island, which was originally occupied by Carib Indians (some of whose descendants remain), was discovered by Columbus in 1493 and colonized by the French in the 1600s. In 1805, the island became a British possession and remained under British rule until 1967, when internal self-Government was granted, followed by full independence in 1978. Post-independence politics have been somewhat stormy, with two coup attempts by leftist members of the island’s Defence Force, during the early 1980s. As a result, the Force was abolished and Eugenia Charles was re-elected Dominica’s Prime Minister
– the first woman in the region to hold the office. The Caribbean’s answer to Margaret Thatcher subsequently won three elections in a row, the last in May 1990, as head of the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP).
A former Prime Minister, Patrick John, was implicated in the second coup. John was leader of the Dominica Labor Party, formerly the main opposition but since overshadowed by the United Workers’ Party, formed in 1988. Eugenia Charles retired in 1995. Her failure to support the new DFP leader, Brian Alleyne, contributed to the party’s poor showing at the election that followed. The United Workers’ Party secured a one-seat overall majority and took power under premier Edison James.
At the most recent poll – a closely fought affair held in January 2000 – the DFP gained a share of power through its alliance with the Labor Party and Pierre Charles became Prime Minister. Since Eugenia Charles’ retirement, successive Government's have continued to follow her pro-Western foreign policy. French troops had been involved in putting down both coup attempts in the 1980s and Charles was a key figure in the 1983 invasion of Grenada, having ‘invited’ the USA to intervene in her capacity as head of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Dominica also belongs to CARICOM and the Association of Caribbean States. Pierre Charles died of a heart attack in January 2004 and Roosevelt Skerrit was sworn in as Prime Minister.
In recent years, Dominica has developed a close, if controversial, relationship with Japan, which has provided extensive development aid including a modern fisheries complex. In exchange, Dominica now supports Japan’s much criticized efforts to undermine international controls on whaling. Nevertheless, given the island’s serious economic problems, the deal enjoys wide popular support.
GovernmentThe President is head of state and, in conjunction with a Cabinet, has executive power. The legislature is the unicameral House of Assembly, to which nine members are nominated and 21 elected by universal adult suffrage. Executive power is vested in the Prime Minister, who is the leader of the majority in the House.
EconomyMuch of the land is under cultivation, with bananas, coconuts, citrus fruits and cocoa as the main produce. The banana industry, which is the country’s main export earner, came under serious pressure following a World Trade Organization ruling outlawing the preferential access to its main European markets that Dominica had previously enjoyed. This added urgency to the government’s efforts to diversify the country’s economic base and improve the country’s inadequate infrastructure.
At present there is a little light industry producing vegetable oil, canned juices, cigarettes, soap and other consumer goods largely for domestic consumption. In the service sector, tourism initially developed rather more slowly in Dominica than elsewhere in the Caribbean but it has become a vital component of the economy. The government has lately sought to promote Dominica as an ecotourism hotspot.
In recent years, the government has also been trying to promote an offshore financial services industry; in a highly competitive market, it has enjoyed limited success.
Dominica is a member of the Caribbean economic bloc CARICOM and of the Organization of East Caribbean States.
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