Allen Michael Chastanet (born 20 November 1960) is a Saint Lucian businessman and politician who served as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

of Saint Lucia from 2016 to 2021. He is currently the Opposition Leader of Saint Lucia and the political leader of the United Workers Party as well as the parliamentary representative for Micoud South constituency.

Education

In 1979, Chastanet graduated from high school at Stanstead College in Stanstead, Quebec. He holds a B.A. degree from

Bishop's University Bishop's University (french: Université Bishop's) is a small English-language liberal arts university in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The founder of the institution was the Anglican Bishop of Quebec, George Mountain, w ...

and an MSc degree from American University.

Business career

Chastanet worked as vice president of marketing and sales for

Air Jamaica Air Jamaica was the national airline of Jamaica. It was owned and operated by Caribbean Airlines from May 2011 until the cessation of operations in 2015. Caribbean Airlines Limited, headquartered in Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago, had administrati ...

. He is the managing director of the Coco Palm Hotel in Rodney Bay.

Political career

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Meets with Caribbean Leaders (40478418323)

Chastanet was Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation and a member of the Saint Lucian Senate from 2006 to 2011. Chastanet unsuccessfully ran for a parliament seat for Soufriere Constituency in the 2011 general election. In 2013, he was elected leader of the opposition United Workers Party. Chastanet won the parliament seat for Micoud South constituency in the 2016 general election. He was sworn in as Prime Minister on 7 June 2016. His government is aligned with that of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in international relations. On Venezuela, he refuses to recognize President

Nicolas Maduro Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

and supports Juan Guaido, a opposition leader. He and other pro-US Caribbean leaders have been summoned to a meeting with Donald Trump in March 2019 to define a common policy on the situation in Venezuela and China's "predatory economic practices". His government's mismanagement of the economy is pointed to by a report from the Central Bank of the Eastern Caribbean, which cites an explosion in debt. Saint Lucia has become the most indebted country in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. On 26 July 2021, Chastanet and his political party United Workers Party were not successful in the 2021 Saint Lucian general election after they were defeated by the

Saint Lucia Labour Party The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds 13 of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly. History The party was established in 1949, backed by the Saint Lucia Workers Cooperative ...

by a landslide.

Political positions

In April 2022, Chastanet stated his support for Saint Lucia to become a republic.

Personal life

Chastanet is the son of businessman Michael Chastanet. Allen Chastanet is married to attorney-at-law Raquel DuBoulay-Chastanet. They have two children.

References