Caribbean island of St. Lucia goes to the polls this Monday to elect a new government

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The inhabitants of St. Lucia, a small Caribbean territory of only 178,000 inhabitants and an area of 600 square kilometers, will go to the polls this Monday to elect a new government and members of the Legislative Assembly.

The Prime Minister, Allen Chastanet, will seek re-election and leads the ruling United Workers Party (UWP) after leading the formation to victory in the 2016 elections, winning 11 of the 17 seats at stake.

It will face the Saint Lucia Labor Party (SLP).

The opposition SLP will contest victory over Chastanet under the leadership of former Deputy Prime Minister Phillip Pierre, who succeeds former Prime Minister Kenny Anthony as the party’s candidate.

Anthony, who served as chief executive from 1997 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2016, is included in the SLP’s slate of candidates.

The island of St. Lucia is an independent country, although it retains the U.K. monarch as head of state, who appoints a governor-general.

St. Lucia, a member of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), is mainly dependent on the tourism sector and banana farming.

The more than 160,000 voters will choose among 45 candidates representing three political parties and three independent candidates in the race for control of the 17-seat Parliament.

Local political commentators say the election is basically down to the race between the UWP and the main opposition St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP).

Both parties have launched their political manifestos, promising voters that they have the policies necessary to take the country forward in the new coronavirus pandemic environment.

The elections are being monitored by observer teams from the Commonwealth, the Organization of American States (OAS), and Caricom.