At stake in this election:

• 17 seats in the House of Representatives

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Kenneth Davis ANTHONY
• Assembly: Saint Lucia has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 11 seats and the House of Representatives with 17 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The Queen is the hereditary head of state.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the governor-general.
• In the Senate 11 members are appointed by the monarch to serve 5-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 17 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.

* Six seats are appointed according to the Prime Minister's recommendation, three on the advice of the opposition leader, and the remaining two are decided after consultation with various social groups.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: St. Lucia Labor Party (SLP)
  • Leader: Dr. Kenny ANTHONY
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 14
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 16
• Party: United Workers' Party (UWP)
  • Leader: Morella JOSEPH
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 3
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 1
• Party: National Alliance
  • Leader: George OBLUM
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 0
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 0
• Party: National Freedom Party (NFP)
  • Leader: Martinus FRANCOIS
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 0
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 0
• Party: Other Parties
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 0
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• Elections were last held May 23, 1997.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 158,178 (July 2001 est.)
• Registered Voters: 119,100 (2001)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 80,979 (2001)

·         Is Saint Lucia a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Saint Lucia ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (8 October 1982)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 2 (House of Assembly) following the 2001 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 89 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Saint Lucia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (22 September 2011)

·         Has Saint Lucia ratified CRPD: No

·         Population with a disability: 23,726 (est.)