The ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) has been returned to power in Tuesday’s general election, even as two independent candidates won constituencies in the 21-seat Parliament following a boycott by the main opposition political parties.Preliminary results released by the Electoral Office showed that the DLP, which had entered the election already having won six seats uncontested, had won 19 of the 21 seats. The preliminary results showed that the independent candidate Jesma Paul polled 617 votes to 463 cast for the DLP’s Lynsia Frank in the Salisbury constituency, while in Marigot, Anthony Charles had defeated the DLP’s Gregory Riviere by a margin of 491 to 329 votes. The independent candidate Carlos Charles received six votes. .The Electoral Office had said that voters would be electing representatives for 15 constituencies after the main opposition parties – the United Workers Party (UWP) and the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) – failed to nominate any candidate.The Electoral Office said 45 candidates contested the 15 remaining seats with the DLP contesting all seats, Team Unity Dominica five seats and there were 10 independents.
