Government & politics — Saint Lucia
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Government & politics at a glance
Government structure, legal system, citizenship, and international relations. Key figure for Saint Lucia: none
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Identity & names
- Full Country Name
none
- Country Name
Saint Lucia note: pronounced saynt-looshuh
- Etymology- history of name
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
- Independence
22 February 1979 (from the UK)
- National Holiday
Independence Day, 22 February (1979)
Political system
- Government Type
parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
- 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
- Executive Branch:
- chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Acting Governor Gene
- Prime Minister Philip J. PIERRE (since 28 July 2021) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor gener
- al 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 to be held 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 fo
- r life with mandatory retirement at age 62 subordinate courts: magistrate's court
- Regions or States:
10 districts; Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort
- Political Parties and Leaders:
- Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Philip J. PIERRE]
- United Workers Party or UWP [Allen M. CHASTANET]
- Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
- Citizenship Criteria:
- yes citizenship by descent: at least one parent
- yes residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years
Capital & time
- Capital Name
Castries
- Capital - geographic coordinate
14 00 N, 61 00 W
- Capital Time Difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
International role
- 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
- International Law Organization Participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
- Diplomatic Representation from US:
embassy
the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia
- 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