Dominica’s Former Speaker of the House Alix Boyde Knights has died.

According to reports Boyde-Knights died on Tuesday following a prolonged illness

In 2020, she addressed parliament for the last time when she accepted the title of Speaker Emeritus, as proposed by parliamentarians of the Dominica Labour Party (DLP).

During her remarks, she said, “I am at a crossroads in my life, and I am not sure which one to follow. But I can assure everyone because I like to cook, I still like to write, I still like to teach, and I have some knowledge that if anybody calls on me, I’ll be only too happy to pass it on. God has been good to me. Everything that has happened to me in my life is from God.’

While in the Speaker’s chair, Boyd-Knights faced accusations from the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) that she was biased but consistently denied these claims.

Boyd-Knights, an attorney, was first elected as Speaker on April 17, 2000, and was subsequently re-elected on July 27, 2005, February 4, 2010, and February 20, 2015.

Her re-election in 2010 marked her as the longest-serving Speaker in the history of Dominica. Boyd-Knights holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies.

Other female Speakers of the House of Assembly include Marie Davis-Pierre and Neva Edwards.