Saint Vincent parrot; national colors: blue, gold, green.
Title | "St. Vincent! Land So Beautiful!" |
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Lyric/music | Phyllis Joyce MCCLEAN PUNNETT/Joel Bertram MIGUEL |
Date of Independence | 27 October 1979 (from the UK) |
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National holiday | Independence Day, 27 October (1979) |
Legal system | English common law |
International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
Constitution | |
History | Previous 1969, 1975; latest drafted 26 July 1979, effective 27 October 1979 (The Saint Vincent Constitution Order 1979) |
Amendments | Proposed by the House of Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership and assent of the governor general; passage of amendments to constitutional sections on fundamental rights and freedoms, citizen protections, various government functions and authorities, and constitutional amendment procedures requires approval by the Assembly membership, approval in a referendum of at least two thirds of the votes cast, and assent of the governor general |
Citizenship | |
Citizenship by birth | yes |
Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
Residency requirement for naturalization | 7 years |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Susan DOUGAN (since 1 August 2019) |
Head of government | Prime Minister Ralph Everard GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) |
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 usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Unicameral House of Assembly (23 seats; 15 representatives directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 6 senators appointed by the governor general, and 2 ex officio members - the speaker of the house and the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms) |
Elections | Last held on 5 November 2020 (next to be held in 2025) |
Election results | Percent of vote by party - ULP 49.58%, NDP 50.34%, other 0.8%; seats by party - ULP 9, NDP 6; composition - men 18, women 5, percentage women 21.7% |
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 Vincent and the Grenadines; note - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 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 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 | Magistrates' courts |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Lou-Anne Gaylene GILCHRIST (since 18 January 2017) |
Chancery | 1627 K Street, NW, Suite 704, Washington, DC 20006 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 364-6730 |
FAX | [1] (202) 364-6736 |
Email address and website | [email protected] http://wa.embassy.gov.vc/washington/ |
Consulate(s) general | New York |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Embassy | The US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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