Editing Saint Lucia (section)

==Government==
{{Main|Politics of Saint Lucia}}
{{multiple image
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| header            = Main office-holders
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| image1            = King Charles III (July 2023).jpg
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| caption1          = The [[King of Saint Lucia]]:<br />'''[[Charles III]]'''<br />since<br />{{nowrap|8 September 2022}}
| image2            = Errol Charles Sep 2022.jpg
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| caption2          = The [[Governor-General of Saint Lucia]]:<br />'''[[Errol Charles]]'''<br />since<br />{{nowrap|1 November 2024}}
| image3            = Philip J Pierre Christmas 2020 (cropped).png
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| caption3          = The [[Prime Minister of Saint Lucia]]:<br />'''[[Philip J. Pierre]]'''<br />since<br />{{nowrap|28 July 2021}}
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Like most Caribbean countries, Saint Lucia is a [[unitary state]] with a [[parliamentary]] system. It is a [[Commonwealth realm]] and a [[constitutional monarchy]], with the current [[King of St. Lucia|monarch]] being [[Charles III]], who is represented on the island by a [[Governor-General of Saint Lucia|governor-general]], currently [[Errol Charles]]. The [[Prime Minister of Saint Lucia|prime minister]] (currently [[Philip J. Pierre]]) is the [[head of government]], the head of the [[Cabinet of Saint Lucia|cabinet]], and is normally the leader of the largest party in the [[House of Assembly of Saint Lucia|House of Assembly]]. The house has 17 seats, with each member being elected via a plurality of votes in their [[Districts of Saint Lucia#Political divisions|constituency]]. The upper chamber of [[Parliament of Saint Lucia|Parliament]] is the [[Senate of Saint Lucia|Senate]] which has 11 appointed members, the majority of which are appointed by the prime minister.

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Districts of Saint Lucia}}
[[File:Saint Lucia, administrative divisions - fr - monochrome.svg|thumb|right|250px|The 10 Districts of Saint Lucia]]

Saint Lucia is made up of 10 districts. The districts were created and named by French colonials, and the British chose to keep the names in an anglicised form. The largest district in both size and population is [[Castries District|Castries]], where the nation's capital of [[Castries|the same name]] is located. The following are the 10 districts placed in alphabetical order:
  
*[[Anse la Raye Quarter|Anse la Raye]]
*[[Canaries Quarter|Canaries]]
*[[Castries Quarter|Castries]]
*[[Choiseul Quarter|Choiseul]]
*[[Dennery Quarter|Dennery]]
*[[Gros Islet Quarter|Gros Islet]]
*[[Laborie Quarter|Laborie]]
*[[Micoud Quarter|Micoud]]
*[[Soufrière Quarter|Soufrière]]
*[[Vieux Fort Quarter|Vieux Fort]]

===Law and crime===
{{Main|Crime in Saint Lucia}}Saint Lucia is a mixed jurisdiction,<ref>[http://www.juriglobe.ca/eng/sys-juri/class-poli/sys-mixtes.php Mixed Legal Systems] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731220313/http://www.juriglobe.ca/eng/sys-juri/class-poli/sys-mixtes.php |date=31 July 2017 }}. juriglobe.ca</ref> meaning that it has a legal system based in part on both the [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] and [[English common law]]. The Civil Code of St. Lucia of 1867 was based on the [[Civil Code of Lower Canada|Quebec Civil Code of 1866]], as supplemented by English common law-style legislation. The [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]] was Saint Lucia's final court of appeal until 2023, when a constitutional amendment transferred this to the [[Caribbean Court of Justice]].<ref>{{cite news|title=In Saint Lucia, parliament passes constitutional amendment to replace Privy Council with Caribbean Court of Justice as final court of appeal|url=https://constitutionnet.org/news/saint-lucia-parliament-passes-constitutional-amendment-replace-privy-council-caribbean-court|access-date=20 June 2023|work=ConstitutionNet|date=2 March 2023|archive-date=20 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620095100/https://constitutionnet.org/news/saint-lucia-parliament-passes-constitutional-amendment-replace-privy-council-caribbean-court|url-status=live}}</ref>

Saint Lucia's homicide rate has hit record highs in recent years. There were 75 homicides in 2021, a 34.5% increase compared with 55 homicides in 2020. 2021 saw the island record the most homicides in its history, and also its highest murder rate in its history, at 40 murders per 100,000 people.

===Foreign relations===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Saint Lucia}}
Saint Lucia is a member of the [[Caribbean Community]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Member States and Associate Members |url=https://caricom.org/member-states-and-associate-members/ |website=CARICOM |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-date=8 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208170714/https://caricom.org/member-states-and-associate-members/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[OECS]],<ref>{{cite web |title=The OECS Member States |url=https://www.oecs.org/en/who-we-are/member-states |website=OECS |access-date=12 February 2023 |language=en-gb |archive-date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211150847/https://oecs.org/en/who-we-are/member-states |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Organization of American States]]<ref>{{cite web |title=OAS – Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development |url=https://www.oas.org/en/about/member_states.asp |website=www.oas.org |access-date=12 February 2023 |language=en |date=1 August 2009 |archive-date=27 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127074532/https://oas.org/en/about/member_states.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[La Francophonie]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Saint Lucia to celebrate International Francophonie Day |url=https://www.govt.lc/news/saint-lucia-to-celebrate-international-francophonie-day |website=Saint Lucia – Access Government |publisher=National Commission for UNESCO |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-date=12 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212134903/https://www.govt.lc/news/saint-lucia-to-celebrate-international-francophonie-day |url-status=live }}</ref> As a [[Commonwealth Realm]], Saint Lucia has relatively friendly relations with United Kingdom and Canada. France is also a major ally, in part due to Saint Lucia's border with [[Martinique]]. The United States is the island's largest trading partner, and Saint Lucia was key to the [[US invasion of Grenada]] in 1983, and voted against condemning the invasion. Saint Lucia became the 152nd member of the [[United Nations]] on 18 September 1979.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nations |first1=United |title=Member States |url=https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states#gotoS |website=United Nations |language=en |access-date=12 February 2023 |archive-date=13 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913235534/https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states#gotoS |url-status=live }}</ref>

Saint Lucia does not have a military although the [[Royal Saint Lucia Police Force]] has a Special Service Unit (SSU) and a Coast Guard. The island signed the UN [[Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]] in 2018.