COMMUNIQUÉ ALBA-TCP
ON THE SITUATION IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA
The member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People's Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) express their sorrow for the ourbreaks of violence that have been activated in the Commonwealth of Dominica, as well as their concern that these events are taking place a few days before the elections foreseen in the legal system of that sister nation.
The ALBA-TCP countries express their confidence in the institutions of the Commonwealth of Dominica and its authorities to be able to resolve any political differences in accordance with their legal system and without foreign interference.
In this sense, the member countries of ALBA-TCP express their misgivings about the declarations of the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, who seeks to impose an Electoral Mission from this Organization on Dominica, which constitutes not only an intolerable act of interference in the internal affairs of Dominica, but also an unacceptable abuse of the performance of his functions.
As early as February 2019, the Secretary of that Organization had suggested that Dominica's elections in 2020 could not be held freely and fairly ; in that regard, ALBA-TCP considers it necessary to reiterate its support for the Communiqué of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) of February 19, 2019, in which the member countries expressed their concern over the declarations of the Secretary General of the OAS against the Government of Dominica "for being outside the limits of his mandate as head of an international organization," and at the same time requested Mr. Luis Almagro to "refrain from actions and declarations that are outside the scope of his competence."
The controversial performance of the most recent OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Bolivia, plagued by actions of dubious political impartiality, raises grave suspicion about its technical authority under severe suspicion and clearly discredits its intervention.
In contrast, the solidity of the institutions for Caribbean integration, particularly CARICOM, constitutes a legitimate political space within which to address in a timely way any situation affecting one of its member countries.
On that score, the member countries of ALBA-TCP, alert the International Community and in particular the Caribbean Community and denounce the application against the Commonwealth of Dominica of the same format of violence and death used in Bolivia, with the apparent purpose and objective aimed at forcing an unconstitutional change of the government of Prime Minister Roosvelt Skerrit.
Caracas, November 21, 2019