St Lucia

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Country in the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, one of the Windward Islands.

Government
The constitution dates from independence in 1979. The governor general is the formal head of state, representing the British monarch. The governor general appoints a prime minister and cabinet, drawn from and responsible to the assembly.

There is a two-chamber parliament comprising the Senate, of 11 appointed members, and the House of Assembly, of 17 members, elected from single-member constituencies by universal suffrage. Six senators are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after wider consultation. Parliament has a life of up to five years.

History
The original inhabitants were Carib Indians. Columbus arrived in 1502. The island was settled by the French in 1635, who introduced slavery, and ceded to Britain in 1803.

It became a crown colony in 1814.

Independence
St Lucia was a colony within the Windward Islands federal system until 1960, and acquired internal self-government in 1967 as a West Indies associated state. The leader of the United Workers' Party (UWP), John Compton, became prime minister. In 1975 the associated states agreed to seek independence separately, and in February 1979, after prolonged negotiations, St Lucia achieved full independence within the Commonwealth, with Compton as prime minister.

The St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) came to power in 1979 led by Allan Louisy, but a split developed within the party, and in 1981 Louisy was forced to resign, being replaced by the attorney general, Winston Cenac.

Soon afterwards George Odlum, who had been Louisy's deputy, left with two other SLP members to form a new party, the Progressive Labour Party. During the next year the Cenac government had to fight off calls for a change of government that culminated in a general strike. Cenac eventually resigned, and in the 1982 general election the UWP won a decisive victory, enabling John Compton to return as prime minister. In the 1987 general election, Compton's UWP was only narrowly returned by a 9:8 majority over the SLP, but it went on to win the 1992 general election, and the 1997 election, which was its fifth consecutive victory. As a result of the 1997 election, Kenny Anthony became prime minister. In December 2001, the SLP retains its majority in parliamentary elections, winning 14 of the 17 seats. The UWP wins the other three.

Red stands for strength. White symbolizes faithfulness. Green represents hope. Effective date: 1 October 1957. >>