The United Workers Party is a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
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 ...
currently led by former Tourism Minister
Allen Chastanet
Allen Michael Chastanet (born 20 November 1960) is a Saint Lucian businessman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from 2016 to 2021. He is currently the Opposition Leader of Saint Lucia and the political leader of the ...
, who defeated former Prime Minister
Stephenson King
Stephenson King (born 13 November 1958) is the former Prime Minister of Saint Lucia. He is the Senior Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development, and Urban Renewal. King was the former candidate for the Uni ...
in a July 28, 2013 leadership election. The party was led previously by
Sir John Compton
Sir John George Melvin Compton, (29 April 1925 – 7 September 2007) was a Saint Lucian politician who became the first Prime Minister upon independence in February 1979. Having led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, Compton se ...
, 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
Sir John George Melvin Compton, (29 April 1925 – 7 September 2007) was a Saint Lucian politician who became the first Prime Minister upon independence in February 1979. Having led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, Compton se ...
, Vincent Monrose, and Maurice Mason) from the ruling
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 ...
.
[ Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p582 ] They won the elections, taking six of the eight seats. They remained in power after winning elections in
1969 and
1974
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
, 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
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
. The Labour Party won the
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
and
2001 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2001.
Africa
* 2001 Beninese presidential election
* 2001 Cape Verdean parliamentary election
* 2001 Cape Verdean presidential election
* 2001 Chadian presidential election
* 2001 Gabonese legislat ...
, 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.
The United Workers Party is a member of the
Caribbean Democrat Union
The Caribbean Democrat Union is an alliance of moderate, centre-right and conservative political parties and individuals the Caribbean. It is affiliated to the global International Democrat Union
The International Democrat Union (IDU) is an ...
, the regional organisation of the global conservative
International Democrat Union
The International Democrat Union (IDU) is an international alliance of centre-right political parties. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, the IDU consists of 84 full and associate members from 65 countries. It is chaired by Stephen Harper, ...
.
Leaders
*
John Compton
Sir John George Melvin Compton, (29 April 1925 – 7 September 2007) was a Saint Lucian politician who became the first Prime Minister upon independence in February 1979. Having led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, Compton se ...
(1964–1996)
*
Vaughan Lewis
Sir Vaughan Allen Lewis, KCSL CBE (born 17 May 1940), is a Saint Lucian politician and a former member of the United Workers' Party (UWP). He served for a brief period as the fifth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia following the resignation of Joh ...
(1996–2005)
*
John Compton
Sir John George Melvin Compton, (29 April 1925 – 7 September 2007) was a Saint Lucian politician who became the first Prime Minister upon independence in February 1979. Having led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, Compton se ...
(2005–2007)
*
Stephenson King
Stephenson King (born 13 November 1958) is the former Prime Minister of Saint Lucia. He is the Senior Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development, and Urban Renewal. King was the former candidate for the Uni ...
(2007–2013)
*
Allen Chastanet
Allen Michael Chastanet (born 20 November 1960) is a Saint Lucian businessman and politician who served as Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from 2016 to 2021. He is currently the Opposition Leader of Saint Lucia and the political leader of the ...
(2013–present)
United Workers Party Prime Ministers
Symbol
* † Died in office
Electoral history
House of Assembly elections
References
External links
Official website
{{Saint Lucian political parties
Political parties in Saint Lucia
Political parties established in 1964
Christian political parties
Conservative parties