Country profile
Saint Lucia
North America · Latin America and the Caribbean · Americas
LC · LCA
- Capital
- Castries
- Population
- 184,100
- Area
- 616 km²
- Democracy index
- 86
- Regime type
- Robust Democracy
Events
Ballots from Saint Lucia
The latest elections, referendums, and opinion polls from Saint Lucia. Community totals are not official results.
No published ballots yet
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Classification
Democracy profile
The score and regime label are assigned by Porto Voto using our in-house democracy index and classification framework, not ratings from governments or external agencies.
Democracy index
86/100
Regime type
Robust Democracy
Saint Lucia functions as a mature parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, characterized by regular, free, and fair multi party elections. The nation exhibits strong adherence to the rule of law, with an independent judiciary that consistently protects civil liberties and fundamental rights. Political competition is vibrant and peaceful, with a long history of institutionalized power transfers between the two main political parties. While the country faces typical socio economic challenges inherent to a small island developing state, its governance remains transparent and accountable, bolstered by an active civil society and a press that operates without government interference. These factors ensure a stable democratic environment that adheres to democratic norms and maintains high levels of public confidence in its national institutions.
Last evaluation:
How we classify regimes →World Factbook
Country background
A concise introduction to Saint Lucia, together with notes on how power and law are organized, to put local ballots in context.
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. In the mid-20th century, Saint Lucia joined the West Indies Federation (1958–1962) and in 1967 became one of the six members of the West Indies Associated States, with internal self-government.
In 1979, Saint Lucia gained full independence.