St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip Pierre is poised to continue leading the country after his ruling Labour Party (SLP) retained its legislative majority in Monday’s general election. The vote followed a campaign dominated by national security, economic stability and citizenship-by-investment policies.
By 10 p.m. local time (0200 GMT), official results confirmed the social democratic SLP had won at least 13 of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly, matching its previous majority. Two seats had yet to be declared. Pierre secured 57.1 percent of the popular vote, defeating opposition leader Allen Chastanet, who received 37.3 percent.
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Chastanet’s United Workers Party (UWP), which entered the election holding only two seats, had won one seat as of late Monday.
Election observers from the British High Commission commended the process, describing it on state television as well-organized, with strong voter turnout and calm conditions at polling stations.
Throughout the campaign, Pierre emphasized steady economic management and continuity. Chastanet countered by arguing that crime and security worsened under Pierre’s leadership, partly due to restricted U.S. security assistance linked to the Leahy Law, which limits support to security forces accused of human rights abuses. He also called for greater transparency in the island’s citizenship-by-investment (CBI) program.
CBI programs remain a major revenue source for several Eastern Caribbean nations but have drawn criticism from the United States, which warned that they may be exploited by foreign actors from countries such as China and Iran. Washington recently proposed its own “gold card” visa system aimed at attracting wealthy investors through an expedited immigration process.
St. Lucia’s election came on the heels of last Thursday’s historic vote in neighboring St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where the opposition captured nearly all parliamentary seats, ending Ralph Gonsalves’ 24-year tenure as prime minister.
The election also unfolded amid heightened U.S. military activity in the Caribbean, which Washington says is aimed at disrupting drug trafficking operations around Venezuela. Authorities in the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago have granted U.S. vessels temporary access to their ports in support of the operation.
