The House of Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Saint Lucia, elected by popular vote. The upper house is the Senate. It has 17 or 18 members: 17 members elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies, and a speaker elected by the 17 members, who may be one of their number or a person chosen from outside the House.[1][2] To be elected to the house, a person must be at least 21 years old.
House of Assembly of Saint Lucia Chambre d'assemblée de Sainte-Lucie | |
|---|---|
| 12th Saint Lucian Parliament | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | March 1, 1967 |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 17 MPs |
 | |
House political groups | His Majesty's Government
|
| Elections | |
House voting system | First-past-the-post |
Last House election | 26 July 2021 |
Next House election | 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Website | |
| parliament | |
History
editHouse of Assembly was established in 1967 when associated statehood was attained. It replaced the legislative council.[3]
Relationship with the government
editSection 60 of the constitution of Saint Lucia requires the prime minister of Saint Lucia to be a member of the House of Assembly. It provides for the governor-general to "appoint a member of the House who appears to him likely to command the support of the majority of the members of the House" and for the office to fall vacant if the prime minister ceases to be a member of the House of Assembly for any reason other than the dissolution of parliament.[4]
Latest general election
edit| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Lucia Labour Party | 43,799 | 50.14 | 13 | +7 | |
| United Workers Party | 37,481 | 42.91 | 2 | –9 | |
| National Green Party | 271 | 0.31 | 0 | New | |
| Independents | 5,807 | 6.65 | 2 | +2 | |
| Total | 87,358 | 100.00 | 17 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 87,358 | 98.10 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 1,694 | 1.90 | |||
| Total votes | 89,052 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 174,332 | 51.08 | |||
| Source: Electoral Department | |||||
Current composition
editFollowing the election of 26 July 2021, the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia comprises the following members:
Constituencies
editSaint Lucia has 17 electoral segments, each of which elects one Parliamentary Representative to the House of Assembly:[5]
| District | Constituencies |
|---|---|
| Gros Islet | Gros Islet, Castries North, Babonneau |
| Castries | Babonneau, Castries East, Castries South, Castries South East, Castries North |
| Anse la Raye | Anse la Raye and Canaries |
| Canaries | Anse la Raye and Canaries |
| Soufrière | Soufrière |
| Laborie | Laborie |
| Vieux Fort | Vieux Fort North, Vieux Fort South |
| Micoud | Micoud North, Micoud South, Vieux Fort North, Dennery South |
| Dennery | Dennery South, Dennery North |
| Choiseul | Choiseul |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ House of Assembly website – the House of Assembly
- ^ Parliament website – Speaker of the House Archived 4 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Saint Lucia - Access Government". Saint Lucia - Access Government.
- ^ "Saint Lucia's Constitution of 1978" (PDF). Constitute Project. p. 34. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
- ^ "Members of the House of Assembly", Government of St. Lucia, 2008, stlucia.gov.lc (see below: References).
- Gaillard, Sharefil (17 August 2021). "New House Speaker promises to overhaul Parliament". Loop News. Retrieved 17 August 2021.