Saint Lucia

House of Assembly Senate

House of Assembly

Political system: Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament: Bicameral
IPU membership: Yes

Historical data on women

Data on women’s right to vote and to stand for election, the date at which the first woman entered parliament, and female Heads of State or Government

Women's suffrage

Date of independence: 1979
Year of first woman in parliament: 1979

Notes: 1979: The first ever women in the Parliament of Saint Lucia were appointed to the Upper House; the first elected women in Parliament were in May 1997, 2 women out of 18 members of the Lower House; prior to independence, 1 woman was elected on 31 August 1951
Year of first woman speaker: 2007

Women’s right to vote

Women’s right to vote: 1979
National or local: National
Restricted or universal suffrage: Universal

Notes: Proir to independence, under British administration, women were granted the right to vote in 1951. This right was first exercised on 13th October 1951and confirmed at independence.

Women’s right to stand for election

Women's right to stand for election: 1979
National or local: National
Restricted or universal: Universal

Notes: Proir to independence, under British administration, women were granted the right to vote and stand for election in 1951. These rights were first exercised on 13th October 1951and confirmed at independence.