Twin pitons (volcanic peaks), Saint Lucia parrot; national colors: cerulean blue, gold, black, white.
Title | "Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia" |
---|---|
Lyric/music | Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS |
Date of Independence | 22 February 1979 (from the UK) |
---|---|
National holiday | Independence Day, 22 February (1979) |
Legal system | English common law |
International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
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 |
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 |
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 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, percentage women 45.5% House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 50.1%, UWP 42.9%, other 0.3%, independent 6.6%; seats by party - SLP 13, UWP 2, independent 2; composition - men 16, women 2, percentage women 11.1%; note - total Parliament percentage 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 |
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 | [email protected] https://www.embassyofstlucia.org/ |
Consulate(s) general | Miami, 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 |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 1 (natural) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Pitons Management Area |
Want to know more about Saint Lucia? Check all different factbooks for Saint Lucia below.