Brown pelican, royal poinciana (flamboyant) tree; national colors: green, yellow, red, black, white.
Title | "Oh Land of Beauty!" |
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Lyric/music | Kenrick Anderson GEORGES |
Date of Independence | 19 September 1983 (from the UK) |
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National holiday | Independence Day, 19 September (1983) |
Legal system | English common law |
International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
Constitution | |
History | Several previous (preindependence); latest presented 22 June 1983, effective 23 June 1983 |
Amendments | Proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the total Assembly membership and assent of the governor general; amendments to constitutional provisions such as the sovereignty of the federation, fundamental rights and freedoms, the judiciary, and the Nevis Island Assembly also require approval in a referendum by at least two thirds of the votes cast in Saint Kitts and in Nevis |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | yes |
Citizenship by descent only | yes |
Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
Residency requirement for naturalization | 14 years |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Marcella LIBURD (since 1 February 2023) |
Head of government | Prime Minister Dr. Terrance DREW (since 6 August 2022) |
Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by governor general in consultation with 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 | Unicameral National Assembly (15 seats, including the attorney general; 11 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 3 appointed by the governor general - 2 on the advice of the prime minister and the third on the advice of the opposition leader; members serve 5-year terms) |
Elections | Last held on 5 August 2022 (next to be held on 2027) |
Election results | Percent of vote by party - SKNLP 44.4%, PLP 16.1%, PAM 16.2%, CCM 12.7%, other 10.6%; seats by party - SKNLP 6, CCM 3, PLP 1, CCM 1; composition - men 11, women 5, percentage women 31.3% |
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 2 assigned to Saint Kitts and Nevis; note - the ECSC in 2003 replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) as the final court of appeal on Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Kitts and Nevis is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice |
Judge selection and term of office | Chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by His Majesty, King Charles III; 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 | Magistrates' courts |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Jacinth HENRY-MARTIN (since 15 September 2023) |
Chancery | 1203 19th St. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20036 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 686-2636 |
FAX | [1] (202) 686-5740 |
Email address and website | [email protected] Embassy of St.Kitts and Nevis to the USA – and Permanent Mission to the OAS (embassydc.gov.kn) |
Consulate(s) general | Los Angeles, New York |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Embassy | The US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 1 (cultural) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park |
Want to know more about Saint Kitts and Nevis? Check all different factbooks for Saint Kitts and Nevis below.