What is the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?
Country Name | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Full Country Name | none |
Etymology- history of name | Saint Vincent was named by explorer Christopher COLUMBUS after Saint VINCENT of Saragossa because the 22 January 1498 day of discovery was the saint's feast day |
Government Type | parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
Capital Name | Kingstown |
Capital - geographic coordinate | 13 08 N, 61 13 W |
Capital Time Difference | UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
Independence | 27 October 1979 (from the UK) |
National Holiday | Independence Day, 27 October (1979) |
Constitution |
history: previous 1969, 1975; latest drafted 26 July 1979, effective 27 October 1979 (The Saint Vincent Constitution Order 1979) amendments: proposed by the House of Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership and assent of the governor general; passage of amendments to constitutional sections on fundamental rights and freedoms, citizen protections, various government functions and authorities, and constitutional amendment procedures requires approval by the Assembly membership, approval in a referendum of at least two thirds of the votes cast, and assent of the governor general |
Who is the president of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines?
Executive Branch: |
chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Susan DOUGAN (since 1 August 2019) head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister |
Citizenship Criteria: |
citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years |
Legal System: | English common law |
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
Legislative Branch: |
description: unicameral House of Assembly (23 seats; 15 representatives directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 6 senators appointed by the governor general, and 2 ex officio members - the speaker of the house and the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 5 November 2020 (next to be held in 2025) election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 49.58%, NDP 50.34%, other 0.8%; seats by party - ULP 9, NDP 6 |
Judicial Branch: |
highest court(s): the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states, with 2 assigned to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; note - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice judge selection and term of office: chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, an independent body of judicial officials; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62 subordinate courts: magistrates' courts |
Regions or States: | 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick |
Political Parties and Leaders: |
New Democratic Party or NDP [Dr. Godwin L. FRIDAY] SVG Green Party or SVGP [Ivan O'NEAL] Unity Labor Party or ULP [Dr. Ralph GONSALVES] (formed in 1994 by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) |
International Law Organization Participation: | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
International Organization Participation: | ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WTO |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Lou-Anne Gaylene GILCHRIST (since 18 January 2017) chancery: 1627 K Street, NW, Suite 704, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 email address and website: mail@embsvg.com http://wa.embassy.gov.vc/washington/ consulate(s) general: New York |
Diplomatic Representation from US: | embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |