Politics of Saint Lucia
Encyclopedia
Politics of Saint Lucia
takes place in the framework of an independent parliamentary democratic Commonwealth Realm
with Queen Elizabeth II
as its head of state
, represented by a Governor General, who acts on the advice of the prime minister
and the cabinet. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party of the house, and the cabinet conducts affairs of state. The Governor General exercises basically ceremonial functions, but residual powers, under the constitution, can be used at the governor general's discretion. The actual power in St. Lucia lies with the prime minister and the cabinet, usually representing the majority party in parliament
.
(UWP), which, until 1997 had governed the country for all but three years since independence. John Compton
was premier of St. Lucia from 1964 until independence in February 1979 and remained prime minister until elections later that year.
The Saint Lucia Labour Party
(SLP) won the first post-independence elections in July 1979, taking 12 of 17 seats in parliament. A period of turbulence ensued, in which squabbling within the party led to several changes of prime minister. Pressure from the private sector and the unions forced the government to resign in 1982. New elections were then called and were won resoundingly by Compton's UWP, which took 14 of 17 seats.
The UWP was elected for a second time on April 16, 1987, but with only nine of 17 seats. Seeking to increase his slim margin, Prime Minister Compton suspended parliament and called new elections on April 30. This unprecedented snap election, however, gave Compton the same results as before—the UWP retained nine seats and the SLP eight. In April 1992, Prime Minister Compton's government again defeated the SLP. In this election, the government increased its majority in parliament to 11 seats.
In 1996, Compton announced his resignation as prime minister in favor of his chosen successor Dr. Vaughan Lewis
, former director-general of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
(OECS). Dr. Lewis became prime minister and minister of finance, planning and development on April 2, 1996. The SLP also had a change of leadership with former CARICOM
official Dr. Kenny Anthony
succeeding businessman Julian Hunte
.
In elections held May 23, 1997, the St. Lucia Labour Party won all but one of the 17 seats in Parliament, and Dr. Kenny Anthony became Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Planning and Development on 24 May 1997.
In elections of December 3, 2001 the St. Lucia Labour Party won 14 of the 17 available seats. The leader of the UWP, Dr. Morella Joseph
failed to win a seat. Arsene James
is the leader of the Parliamentary Opposition.
In the general elections held on December 11, 2006 the UWP, once again led by Sir John Compton, defeated the SLP, winning 11 of the 17 seats. The next elections in St Lucia are constitutionally due in December 2011. The governing United Workers Party, and the opposition St Lucia Labour Party, along with the newly formed Lucian People's Movement, are expected to contest the next elections.
is represented by a governor general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. Following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the governor general.
|Queen
|Elizabeth II
|
|6 February 1952
|-
|Governor-General
|Pearlette Louisy
|
|17 September 1997
|-
|Prime Minister
|Kenny Anthony
|Labour Party
|30 November 2011
|}
has two chambers
. The House of Assembly
has 17 members, elected by universal adult suffrage for a five year term in single-seat constituencies. The Senate
has 11 members appointed by the governor general.
The parliament may be dissolved by the governor general at any point during its 5-year term, either at the request of the prime minister—in order to take the nation into early elections—or at the governor general's own discretion, if the house passes a vote of no-confidence in the government.
. The island is divided into 10 administrative divisions, including the capital, Castries
. Popularly elected local governments in most towns and villages perform such tasks as regulation of sanitation and markets and maintenance of cemeteries and secondary roads. St. Lucia has no army but maintains a paramilitary Special Service Unit within its police force and a coast guard.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
takes place in the framework of an independent parliamentary democratic Commonwealth Realm
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
with Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
as its head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
, represented by a Governor General, who acts on the advice of the prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
and the cabinet. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party of the house, and the cabinet conducts affairs of state. The Governor General exercises basically ceremonial functions, but residual powers, under the constitution, can be used at the governor general's discretion. The actual power in St. Lucia lies with the prime minister and the cabinet, usually representing the majority party in parliament
Parliament of Saint Lucia
The Parliament of Saint Lucia has two chambers.*the House of Assembly has 17 members, elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.*the Senate has 11 appointed members....
.
History
Politics in St. Lucia was once dominated by the United Workers' PartyUnited Workers' Party
The United Workers' Party may refer to:*Polish United Workers' Party*United Workers' Party *United Workers Party *United Workers Party , commonly known as Mapam*United Workers Party...
(UWP), which, until 1997 had governed the country for all but three years since independence. John Compton
John Compton
Sir John George Melvin Compton, KBE, PC was the first, fifth and eighth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia in 1979, from 1982 to 1996, and from 2006 until his death. Compton, who previously led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, was the country's first leader when it became independent...
was premier of St. Lucia from 1964 until independence in February 1979 and remained prime minister until elections later that year.
The Saint Lucia Labour Party
Saint Lucia Labour Party
The Saint Lucia Labour Party is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds ten of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.-History:...
(SLP) won the first post-independence elections in July 1979, taking 12 of 17 seats in parliament. A period of turbulence ensued, in which squabbling within the party led to several changes of prime minister. Pressure from the private sector and the unions forced the government to resign in 1982. New elections were then called and were won resoundingly by Compton's UWP, which took 14 of 17 seats.
The UWP was elected for a second time on April 16, 1987, but with only nine of 17 seats. Seeking to increase his slim margin, Prime Minister Compton suspended parliament and called new elections on April 30. This unprecedented snap election, however, gave Compton the same results as before—the UWP retained nine seats and the SLP eight. In April 1992, Prime Minister Compton's government again defeated the SLP. In this election, the government increased its majority in parliament to 11 seats.
In 1996, Compton announced his resignation as prime minister in favor of his chosen successor Dr. Vaughan Lewis
Vaughan Lewis
Vaughan Lewis is a Saint Lucian politician and a former member of the ruling United Workers' Party . He served for a brief period as the fourth Prime Ministers of Saint Lucia following the resignation of John Compton. Lewis, a former director of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States,...
, former director-general of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , created in 1981, is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance between countries and dependencies in the Eastern Caribbean...
(OECS). Dr. Lewis became prime minister and minister of finance, planning and development on April 2, 1996. The SLP also had a change of leadership with former CARICOM
Caribbean Community
The Caribbean Community is an organisation of 15 Caribbean nations and dependencies. CARICOM's main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy...
official Dr. Kenny Anthony
Kenny Anthony
Kenny Davis Anthony is a Saint Lucian politician who was the fifth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from 1997 to 2006. As leader of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, he was Leader of the Opposition from 2006 to 2011 and returned to office as Prime Minister on 30 November 2011 following the 2011...
succeeding businessman Julian Hunte
Julian Hunte
Dr. Julian Robert Hunte, OBE was the foreign minister of Saint Lucia from April 2001 to 26 October 2004, when he was succeeded by Petrus Compton...
.
In elections held May 23, 1997, the St. Lucia Labour Party won all but one of the 17 seats in Parliament, and Dr. Kenny Anthony became Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Planning and Development on 24 May 1997.
In elections of December 3, 2001 the St. Lucia Labour Party won 14 of the 17 available seats. The leader of the UWP, Dr. Morella Joseph
Morella Joseph
Dr. Morella Joseph is a politician in the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia and was reportedly the first woman in its history to become president of a political party. After the unexpected resignation of Vaughan Lewis, Joseph was elected to the position in October, 2000 and became the leader...
failed to win a seat. Arsene James
Arsene James
Born October 30 1944, Arsene James is a Saint Lucian politician and former Leader of the Opposition. He represents the Micoud South constituency for the United Workers' Party...
is the leader of the Parliamentary Opposition.
In the general elections held on December 11, 2006 the UWP, once again led by Sir John Compton, defeated the SLP, winning 11 of the 17 seats. The next elections in St Lucia are constitutionally due in December 2011. The governing United Workers Party, and the opposition St Lucia Labour Party, along with the newly formed Lucian People's Movement, are expected to contest the next elections.
Executive branch
As head of state, Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
is represented by a governor general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. Following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the governor general.
|Queen
|Elizabeth II
|
|6 February 1952
|-
|Governor-General
|Pearlette Louisy
Pearlette Louisy
Dame Pearlette Louisy, GCMG is the Governor-General of Saint Lucia. She is the first woman to hold this office, which she was sworn into on 19 September 1997....
|
|17 September 1997
|-
|Prime Minister
|Kenny Anthony
Kenny Anthony
Kenny Davis Anthony is a Saint Lucian politician who was the fifth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from 1997 to 2006. As leader of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, he was Leader of the Opposition from 2006 to 2011 and returned to office as Prime Minister on 30 November 2011 following the 2011...
|Labour Party
Saint Lucia Labour Party
The Saint Lucia Labour Party is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds ten of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.-History:...
|30 November 2011
|}
Legislative branch
The LegislatureParliament of Saint Lucia
The Parliament of Saint Lucia has two chambers.*the House of Assembly has 17 members, elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.*the Senate has 11 appointed members....
has two chambers
Bicameralism
In the government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses....
. The House of Assembly
House of Assembly of Saint Lucia
The Parliament of Saint Lucia has two chambers. The House of Assembly is the popular elected chamber of the Legislature. It has 17 members, elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.-Current Composition:...
has 17 members, elected by universal adult suffrage for a five year term in single-seat constituencies. The Senate
Senate of Saint Lucia
The Legislature has two chambers. The upper house is the Senate with 11 appointed members.The Government Senators are:* Allen Chastanet* Guy Mayers* Gale T. C. Rigobert* Charlotte Mangal* Lorenzo FrancisThe Opposition Senators are:* Emma Hippolyte...
has 11 members appointed by the governor general.
The parliament may be dissolved by the governor general at any point during its 5-year term, either at the request of the prime minister—in order to take the nation into early elections—or at the governor general's own discretion, if the house passes a vote of no-confidence in the government.
Political parties and elections
Judicial branch
St. Lucia has an independent judiciary composed of district courts and a high court. Cases may be appealed to the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeals and, ultimately, to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The island is divided into 10 administrative divisions, including the capital, Castries
Castries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
. Popularly elected local governments in most towns and villages perform such tasks as regulation of sanitation and markets and maintenance of cemeteries and secondary roads. St. Lucia has no army but maintains a paramilitary Special Service Unit within its police force and a coast guard.
Administrative divisions
Saint Lucia is divided in 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux Fort.See also
- Foreign relations of Saint LuciaForeign relations of Saint LuciaSaint Lucia is a member of several internal organizations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States...