Legal System of Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is located in Central America N Caribbean. It is geographically situated in caribbean, island between the caribbean sea and north atlantic ocean, north of trinidad and tobago. The country achieved independence on 22 february 1979 (from the uk). The capital is Castries.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm Chief of State: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Acting Governor General Cyril 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 Administrative Divisions: 10 districts; Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufrière, Vieux-Fort National Holiday: Independence Day, 22 February (1979) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Saint Lucia is described as english common law International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: previous 1958, 1960 (pre-independence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979 Amendment Process: 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

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC is headquartered on St. Lucia and 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 travels to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice Judge Selection: chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the British monarch; 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

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Lower Chamber: House of Assembly (18 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): plurality/majority Upper Chamber: Senate

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: yes Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Lucia Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

England and France contested Saint Lucia – with its fine natural harbor at Castries and burgeoning sugar industry – throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries, with possession changing 14 times; it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814 and became part of the British Windward Islands colony. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Saint Lucia based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.