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 Stephenson KING
• Assembly: Saint Lucia has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 11 seats and the House of Representatives with 17 seats.

* The Queen is represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY.

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 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.

* In the Senate, 11 members are appointed to serve 5-year terms (6 on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups).

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Saint Lucia Labor Party (SLP)
  • Leader: Kenneth ANTHONY
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 11
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 6
• Party: United Workers Party (UWP)
  • Leader: Stephenson KING
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 6
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 11
• Independent(s): Independents
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this House of Representatives election: 0
  • Seats won in last House of Representatives election: 0

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 179,278 (2011)
• Registered Voters: 151,466 (November 2011)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 91,215 (2011)

·         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: 3 (House of Assembly) following the 2011 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: 26,891 (est.)