DOMINICA’S prime minister warned today of an attempted coup by the Organisation of American States (OAS) in retaliation against the nation’s opposition to US policy on Venezuela.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit accused OAS chief Luis Almagro of “leading a campiagn” of incitement against his ruling Dominica Labour Party, warning that certain member states were being targeted.

He insisted that the OAS was on a “crusade” to “delegitimise his government” as punishment for consistently voting against interference in the region, particularly on the body’s resolutions against Venezuela.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Telesur, Mr Skerrit accused the OAS of wanting to add another overseas-funded coup to its tally sheet.

The organisation, which has its base in Washington, has come under fire for its role in backing the fascist coup in Bolivia which forced out president Evo Morales shortly after his fourth election victory.

Clashes have taken place in Dominica, which is due to go to the polls on December 6, as the opposition United Workers’ Party has demanded electoral reforms which would give it an advantage.

But Mr Skerret condemned the “intrusion of violence into the election campaign,” warning that the protesters have ulterior motives.

Mr Almagro intervened and said Dominicans “deserve democratic, fair, inclusive and transparent elections. Democracy is the best antidote against violence.”

He was accused of deliberately undermining the ruling party to instal a more compliant regime in the Caribbean island.

Mr Skerrit said the OAS was “targeting certain member states. Dominica is one such country that they’re targeting and my government is one such government that they are targeting. So it is not about free and fair elections — it is not about the electoral process.

“[The OAS] have waited for this opportunity to implement this strategy. So it is something that has been in the making for three or four years.”

Mr Skerret has previously warned that the OAS had lost its way and in 2017 called for Mr Almagro to be sacked. The country was one of just four OAS member states to vote against a resolution to suspend Venezuela from the group.

Mr Skerrit said: “The strategy is perverse, to remove from [Mr Almagro’s] way the governments not aligned with the US to add votes to his re-election.
 
“We are having general elections in our country on December 6 and there are attempts to derail or prevent this from happening. 
 
“The secretary general of the OAS is supposed to be an independent person, an apolitical person.

“But it is clear by his actions, his utterances and his statements that he has a bias in Dominica — and that bias is against my government.”