Philip Pierre hopes to fend off challenge from former PM Allen Chastanet amid tense relations with US
Voters in St Lucia have gone to the polls to elect a new legislature and choose their prime minister, in a race dominated by debates over economic management, violent crime and passport sales.
The Labour party, led by the prime minister, Philip Pierre, is seeking to fend off a challenge from the conservative opposition leader, Allen Chastanet, who preceded Pierre as prime minister of the island of 180,000 people. Labour holds a strong majority in both of St Lucia’s legislative chambers.
Chastanet heads the conservative United Workers party, which has sought greater international security cooperation and financial transparency, while Pierre has advocated for stability and cautious economic management.
The opposition leader argues that security has deteriorated under Pierre’s tenure, partly because US support for local police has been curtailed under Washington’s Leahy Law, which restricts assistance over past human rights abuses.
