Saint Lucia Government - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

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; Saint Lucia is the only country named specifically after a woman

note: pronounced saynt-looshuh

Government type

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital

name: Castries

geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 61 00 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: in 1785, the village of Carenage was renamed Castries, after Charles Eugene Gabriel de La Croix de CASTRIES (1727-1801), who was then the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies

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

history: previous 1958, 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979

amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the House of Assembly membership in the final reading and assent of the governor general; passage of amendments to various constitutional sections, such as those on fundamental rights and freedoms, government finances, the judiciary, and procedures for amending the constitution, require at least three-quarters majority vote by the House and assent of the governor general; passage of amendments approved by the House but rejected by the Senate require a majority of votes cast in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2008

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 only: 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: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Acting Governor General Errol CHARLES (since 11 November 2021)

head of government: Prime Minister Philip J. PIERRE (since 28 July 2021)

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 Houses of Parliament consists of:
Senate (11 seats; all members appointed by the governor general; 6 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)
House of Assembly (18 seats; 17 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and the speaker, designated from outside the Parliament; members serve 5-year terms)

elections: Senate - last appointments on 17 August 2021 (next in 2026)
House of Assembly - last held on 26 July 2021 (next to be held in 2026)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 6, women 5, percent of women 45.5%
House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 50.1%, UWP 42.9%, other o.3%, independent 6.6%; seats by party - SLP 13, UWP 2, independent 2; composition (including the speaker) - men 16, women 2, percent of women 11.1%; note - total Parliament percent of women 24.1%

Judicial branch

highest court(s): the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states with 4 on Saint Lucia; 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 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

Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Philip J. PIERRE]
United Workers Party or UWP [Allen M. CHASTANET]

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 7 June 2022)

chancery: 1629 K Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006

telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792

FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723

email address and website:
embassydc@gosl.gov.lc

https://www.embassyofstlucia.org/

consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy: 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

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 1 (natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales: Pitons Management Area

NOTE: The information regarding Saint Lucia on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Saint Lucia 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Saint Lucia 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.