Saint Lucia: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Lucia etymology: named after Saint LUCY of Syracuse by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on 13 December 1502, the saint's feast day |
|---|---|
| Government type | parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital | Castries
Castries
geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 61 00 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 10 districts; Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort |
| Independence | 22 February 1979 (from the UK) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 22 February (1979) |
| Constitution | previous 1958, 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979; note - in mid-2015, an amendment was proposed to replace the London-based Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice as the country's highest appellate court (2016) |
| Legal system | English common law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Lucia dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Allen CHASTANET (since 7 June 2016) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by governor general |
| Legislative branch | description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; 6 members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 upon consultation with religious, economic, and social groups; members serve 5-year terms) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held on 6 June 2016 (next to be held in 2021) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 54.8%, SLP 44.1%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - with its headquarters on St. Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and is comprised of the Court of Appeal with 3 justices and the High Court with 16 judges; sittings of the Court of Appeal and High Court rotate among the member states; 3 High Court judges reside on Saint Lucia; note - Saint Lucia is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice judge selection and term of office: chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, an independent body of judicial officials; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62 subordinate courts: magistrate's court |
| Political parties and leaders | Lucian People's Movement or LPM (Therold PRUDENT) Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP (Kenny ANTHONY) United Workers Party or UWP (Allen CHASTANET) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA |
| International organization participation | ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth Darius CLARKE (since 3 August 2015) chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: (1) (202) 364-6792 through 6795 FAX: (1) (202) 364-6723 consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia |
| Flag description | cerulean blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border; the blue color represents the sky and sea, gold stands for sunshine and prosperity, and white and black the racial composition of the island (with the latter being dominant); the two major triangles invoke the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), cone-shaped volcanic plugs that are a symbol of the island |
| National symbol(s) | twin pitons (volcanic peaks), Saint Lucia parrot; national colors: cerulean blue, gold, black, white |
| National anthem | name: "Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia" lyrics/music: Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS note: adopted 1967 |