Roseau (Dominica), Dec 7 (AP) Residents of Dominica cast ballots for a new Parliament on Friday following weeks of political unrest, and early returns indicated a landslide victory for the governing Dominica Labour Party.

Preliminary results released by the Dominica Electoral Office showed the party of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit winning 18 of the Caribbean nation's 21 legislative seats, giving it an unprecedented fifth term in power.

Voting was held under heightened security following weeks of protests and legal challenges seeking electoral reform. Security forces from neighboring islands where brought in to maintain the peace on Dominica, a former French and British colony of about 75,000 people.

The opposition United Workers' Party lost three of its six seats. One of those was won by Melissa Skerrit, the prime minister's wife.

Opposition supporters had demanded more rigorous checking of voter registrations and a prohibition on expatriate Dominican citizens returning to vote. The opposition has accused the government of buying voters by providing supporters with tickets home around election time. (AP)

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