Dominica's leader expected to stay following snap elections

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit was expected to remain leader of the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica after snap general elections Tuesday that the main opposition party and its supporters boycotted.

Twenty-one of 32 seats in the House of Assembly were up for grabs, with several automatically going to Skerrit’s Dominica Labor Party since the opposition parties did not submit candidates. The remaining nine members are chosen by the assembly or president and two other positions are ex-officio, held by the speaker and attorney general.

As of late Tuesday, Skerrit's party had won 15 seats, according to preliminary results released by Dominica's electoral office.

The opposing United Workers Party and the Dominica Freedom Party rejected Tuesday’s election as they called for electoral reform, including a new voter list. The Organization of American States and the Caribbean Court of Justice, among others, also have recommended electoral reform to fight potential voter fraud.

Skerrit, 50, was first elected in 2004 and has said this will be his last term.