United Workers Party
LeaderAllen Chastanet
Founded1964
Merger ofPeople's Progressive Party
National Labour Movement
IdeologyChristian democracy
Conservatism
Political positionCentre-right
Regional affiliationCaribbean Democrat Union
International affiliationInternational Democrat Union
House of Assembly
2 / 17
Senate
3 / 11
Website
uwpstlucia.com

The United Workers Party is a conservative political party in Saint Lucia currently led by former Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet, who defeated former Prime Minister Stephenson King in a July 28, 2013 leadership election. The party was led previously by Sir John Compton, the party's founder.

History

The party was formed before the 1964 general elections by an alliance of the People's Progressive Party and the National Labour Movement, a splinter group founded by three members (John Compton, Vincent Monrose, and Maurice Mason) from the ruling Saint Lucia Labour Party.[1] They won the elections, taking six of the eight seats. They remained in power after winning elections in 1969 and 1974, before losing the 1979 elections to the Labour Party. They returned to power after winning 14 of the 17 seats in the 1982 elections, and remained in power after two elections in 1987 and one in 1992. The Labour Party won the 1997 and 2001 elections, but the UWP regained power in the 2006 elections. In 2011 the UWP lost the election to Labour but regained power in the 2016 elections, taking 11 of the 17 seats in the House.[2]

The United Workers Party is a member of the Caribbean Democrat Union, the regional organisation of the global conservative International Democrat Union.

Leaders

United Workers Party Prime Ministers

Symbol

  • † Died in office
No. Portrait Name

(birth–death)

 Election Term of office Ref.
Took office Left office Time in office
1 John Compton

(1925-2007)

 — 22 February 1979 2 July 1979 130 days [5]
1982

1987

(6 Apr.)

1987

(30 Apr.)1992

 3 May 1982 2 April 1996 13 years, 335 days [5]
2006 11 December 2006 7 September 2007 † 270 days [6][5]
2 Vaughan Lewis

(born 1940)

 — 2 April 1996 24 May 1997 1 year, 52 days [5]
3 Stephenson King

(born 1958)

 7 September 2007 30 November 2011 4 years, 84 days [5]
4 Allen Chastanet

(born 1960)

 2016 7 June 2016 28 July 2021 5 years, 51 days [7]

Electoral history

House of Assembly elections

Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Result
1964 John Compton 9,615 51.5%
6 / 10
 Increase 6 Increase 1st Majority government
1969 13,328 58.1%
6 / 10
 Steady Steady 1st Majority government
1974 17,300 53.4%
10 / 17
 Increase 4 Steady 1st Majority government
1979 19,706 43.8%
5 / 17
 Decrease 5 Decrease 2nd Opposition
1982 27,252 56.2%
14 / 17
 Increase 9 Increase 1st Supermajority government
1987 (6 Apr) 25,892 52.5%
9 / 17
 Decrease 5 Steady 1st Majority government
1987 (30 Apr) 28,046 53.2%
9 / 17
 Steady Steady 1st Majority government
1992 33,562 56.7%
11 / 17
 Increase 2 Steady 1st Majority government
1997 Vaughan Lewis 26,325 36.6%
1 / 17
 Decrease 10 Decrease 2nd Opposition
2001 Morella Joseph 23,007 37.8%
3 / 17
 Increase 2 Steady 2nd Opposition
2006 John Compton 38,894 51.3%
11 / 17
 Increase 8 Increase 1st Majority government
2011 Stephenson King 39,100 46.96%
6 / 17
 Decrease 5 Decrease 2nd Opposition
2016 Allen Chastanet 46,183 54.79%
11 / 17
 Increase 5 Increase 1st Majority government
2021 37.481 42.91%
2 / 17
 Decrease 9 Decrease 2nd Opposition

References

  1. ↑ Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p582 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  2. ↑ "Saint Lucia General Elections". elections.gov.lc. Archived from the original on 2016-10-30. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  3. ↑ "Freedom in the World 2002 - Saint Lucia".
  4. 1 2 "Saint Lucia Modern History – aGoodDir International Directory".
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Office of the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia". 25 June 2016. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "John Compton, Prime Minister of St. Lucia, dies at 82". International Herald Tribune. 8 September 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  7. ↑ Charles, Jacqueline (7 June 2016). "Saint Lucia swears in new prime minister". Miami Herald. Miami Herald Media Company. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
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