Central America and the Caribbean > Saint Lucia > Government

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Administrative divisions 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort
Capital city	Castries
Capital city > Geographic coordinates	14 01 N, 61 00 W
Constitution	22 February 1979
Diplomatic representation in the US > Chief of mission	Ambassador Michael LOUIS
Executive branch > Cabinet Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Executive branch > Chief of state Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)
Flag description blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border
Government type	parliamentary democracy
Independence 22 February 1979 (from UK)
Judicial branch Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
Legal system based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
National holiday Independence Day, 22 February
Political parties and leaders National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Stephenson KING]
Status democracy
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal
Time required to start a business > days	40 days		[70th of 171]
Trademarks, residents	54		[70th of 98]
Transnational Issues > Disputes > International joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

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