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.
Politics in St. Lucia was once dominated by the
United Workers' Party (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 in 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.
Executive branch
As head of state,
Queen Elizabeth II 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.
Legislative branch
The
Legislaturehas two
chambers. The
House of Assemblyhas 17
members, elected by universal adult suffrage for a five year term
in single-seat
constituencies. The
Senatehas 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 London
.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.
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
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