Allen Michael Chastanet (born 20 November 1960) is a

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

n businessman and politician who served as Prime Minister of

from 2016 to 2021. He is currently the

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

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 Stanstead College is an English-language independent boarding school in Stanstead, Quebec, Canada, for boys and girls in Grades 7 through 12. The school is located on a campus in Quebec's Eastern Townships – just north of the Canada–Unite ...

Stanstead, Quebec Stanstead is a town in the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, located on the Canada–United States border across from Derby Line, Vermont. The Town of Stanstead was created in 1995 by the merger of the ...

. He holds a B.A. degree from Bishop's University and an MSc degree from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

Business career

Chastanet worked as vice president of marketing and sales for Air Jamaica. He is the managing director of the Coco Palm Hotel in

Rodney Bay Rodney Bay is a town and bay located in the Gros Islet District on the island of Saint Lucia. Gros Islet is one of the ten districts in the island. It can be found on the northwestern coast of the island above the Castries District, where the ca ...

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. He held the additional portfolios of Minister of Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs and the Public Service. On 26 July 2021, Chastanet and his political party United Workers Party were not successful in the

2021 Saint Lucian general election General elections were held in Saint Lucia on 26 July 2021, having been constitutionally required by 12 October 2021. Voters elected all 17 members of the House of Assembly. The result was a victory for the opposition Saint Lucia Labour Party, ...

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 Un ...

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