List of presidents of Dominica
| President of the Commonwealth of Dominica | |
|---|---|
since 2 October 2023 | |
| Residence | Government House in Roseau |
| Term length | Five years[1] renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Dominica |
| Inaugural holder | Sir Louis Cools-Lartigue |
| Formation | November 3, 1978 |
| Salary | EC$91,000 annually[2] |
| Website | presidentoffice.gov.dm |
| Administrative divisions (parishes) |
|---|
The President of Dominica is the head of state under the system implemented by the Constitution of 1978, the year of Dominica's independence.[3]
Unlike other former British colonies in the region, Dominica did not retain Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a Governor-General, as head of state, on its independence, instead electing to become a parliamentary republic with a President as ceremonial head of state, a compromise between the governing Dominica Labour Party, which favoured retaining the monarchy, and the opposition Dominica Freedom Party, which favoured a republic with an executive presidency.[4][5]
The current president is Sylvanie Burton, since 2 October 2023.
List of officeholders
Source: [6]
- Political parties
Dominica Labour Party (DLP)
- Other affiliations
- Status
Denotes interim or acting president
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Elected | Term of office | Political party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| — | Sir Louis Cools-Lartigue (1905–1993) |
— | 3 November 1978 | 16 January 1979 | 74 days | Independent | |
| 1 | Fred Degazon (1913–2008)[a] |
1978 | 16 January 1979 | 29 January 1980 | 1 year, 13 days | Independent | |
| — | Sir Louis Cools-Lartigue (1905–1993)[b] |
— | 15 June 1979 | 16 June 1979 | 1 day | Independent | |
| — | Jenner Armour (1932–2001)[7][c] |
— | 21 June 1979 | 25 February 1980 | 249 days | Independent | |
| 2 | Aurelius Marie (1904–1995) |
1980[8] | 25 February 1980 | 19 December 1983 | 3 years, 297 days | Independent | |
| 3 | Clarence Seignoret (1919–2002)[d] |
1983 1988 | 19 December 1983 | 25 October 1993 | 9 years, 310 days | Independent | |
| 4 | Crispin Sorhaindo (1931–2010) |
1993 | 25 October 1993 | 5 October 1998 | 4 years, 345 days | Independent | |
| 5 | Vernon Shaw (1930–2013) |
1998 | 6 October 1998 | 1 October 2003 | 4 years, 360 days | Independent | |
| 6 | Nicholas Liverpool (1934–2015) |
2003 2008 |
1 October 2003 | 17 September 2012 | 8 years, 352 days | Independent | |
| 7 | Eliud Williams (born 1948) |
2012 | 17 September 2012 | 2 October 2013 | 1 year, 15 days | DLP | |
| 8 | Charles Savarin (born 1943) |
2013 2018 |
2 October 2013 | 2 October 2023 | 10 years | DLP | |
| 9 | Sylvanie Burton (born 1965) |
2023 | 2 October 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 168 days | DLP | |
Timeline
See also
- List of colonial governors and administrators of Dominica
- List of heads of government of Dominica
- Lists of office-holders
Notes
References
- ^ "Establishment of Office - Office of the President". presidentoffice.gov.dm. Archived from the original on 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- ^ Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (13 October 2008). "PRESIDENT'S EMOLUMENTS AND CONDITIONS OF OFFICE (AMENDMENT) ACT 8" (PDF). www.dominica.gov.dm.
- ^ Lawrence, Alick C., The Constitution, The Government & You: An introduction to the Constitution and Governance of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Pont Casse Press, pp. 37–38, ISBN 0-9737347-5-2
- ^ Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutional Law, Routledge, 2013, page 198]
- ^ Surrogates for the Sovereign: Constitutional Heads of State in the Commonwealth, David Butler, Springer, 1991, page 173
- ^ "Administering Officers - Office of the President". presidentoffice.gov.dm.
- ^ "Index Ar-As". www.rulers.org.
- ^ "Dominica elects president". El Paso Herald-Post. 26 February 1980. p. 2. Retrieved 17 September 2025 – via Newspapers.com.