Saint Lucia is a small Caribbean island nation located in the Windward Islands with a population of around 176,000 people. The economy of Saint Lucia is largely dependent on tourism, agriculture and manufacturing, with its GDP per capita estimated at US$13,900 in 2017. In terms of foreign relations, Saint Lucia has strong ties to other countries in the region as well as other countries around the world. It is also a member of the United Nations, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In terms of politics, Saint Lucia has a parliamentary democracy which includes two major parties: United Workers Party (UWP) and Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP). The Parliament consists of 17 members who are elected by popular vote every five years. In 2017, UWP won majority in parliamentary elections under Prime Minister Allen Chastanet. See militarynous for Saint Lucia military and defense.
Yearbook 2017
Saint Lucia. In March, MP Ernest Hilaire sued Prime Minister Allen Chastanet for slander. According to Hilaire, who represents the opposition party Saint Lucia’s Labor Party (SLP), Chastanet had called him dishonest and unreliable, claiming that Hilaire had been involved in financial irregularities during his time as Saint Lucia’s high commissioner in the UK. See ABBREVIATIONFINDER for frequently used acronyms and abbreviations related to as well as country profile of St. Lucia.
According to Countryaah.com, the party rally continued in May when Guy Joseph, minister responsible for economic development, housing and transport, was asked by an opposition politician to answer questions about the bribery charges directed at him. For several years, Joseph has been accused of offering bribes to the then Prime Minister Kenny Anthony during his last term as Minister (2006-15) to allow certain special companies to receive lucrative construction contracts. The fact that this was once again relevant must have been due to Guy Joseph himself making accusations against several SLP politicians about irregularities committed during their time as ministers.
Saint Lucia was one of 17 countries and territories listed on the EU’s first black list of tax havens, published in December.
