The Government of Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Saint Lucia, it was 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. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 10 districts; Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort

National symbols

Twin pitons (volcanic peaks), Saint Lucia parrot; national colors: cerulean blue, gold, black, white.

The flag

The National flag of Saint Lucia has cerulean blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border; the blue color represents the sky and sea, gold stands for sunshine and prosperity, and white and black the racial composition of the island (with the latter being dominant); the two major triangles invoke the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), cone-shaped volcanic plugs that are a symbol of the island.

The National Anthem

Title	"Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia"
Lyric/music	Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS

note: adopted 1967

More about the government of Saint Lucia

Constitution
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
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