Representatives of three political parties and eight independents are on Monday seeking the vote of an estimated 180, 000 voters, who are expected to cast their ballots at 285 polling stations scattered across St. Lucia.
The Electoral Department said it expects a free and fair general election in which the 44 candidates are seeking entry into the17-member Parliament.
The ruling St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP),which won 13 seats in the July 26, 2021 general election, is again contesting 15 seats, while providing some level of support to two independent candidates in former prime miniser Stephenson King and Richard Frederick, both of whom had also contested the last general election as independent candidates and later joined the Phillip J Pierre administration.
The main opposition United Workers Party (UWP) is contesting all 17 seats and under the leadership of former prime minister Allen Chastanet, it is hoping to turn around the results of the last poll, when it won only two seats.
The third political party, a husband and wife team of the National Congress Party is not expected to have any major impact on the election on Monday.
The polling stations open at 6.30 am (local time) and closes at 6.00 pm, unlike previous occasions when voters had a 12 hour window to elect their representatives.