Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, a singular nation state. Nevis is located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago about 350 kilometres (220 mi) east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Antigua. Its area is 93 square kilometres (36 sq mi) and the capital is Charlestown.
Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles. With 261 square kilometres (101 sq mi) of territory, and roughly 48,000 inhabitants, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population, as well as the world's smallest sovereign federation. The country is a Commonwealth realm, with Charles III as King and head of state.
The politics of Saint Kitts and Nevis takes place in the framework of a federal parliamentary democracy. Saint Kitts and Nevis is an independent Commonwealth realm with Charles III as its head of state, viceregally represented by a Governor-General. He acts on the advice of the prime minister, who is the majority party leader in the National Assembly, and who, with a cabinet, conducts affairs of state.
Denzil Llewellyn Douglas is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician and the longest-serving prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, in office from 1995 to 2015. He was the leader of the Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) from 1989 to 2021. He was the leader of the parliamentary opposition from 1989 to 1995 and from 2015 to 2022.
The governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis is the representative of the monarch of Saint Kitts and Nevis, currently King Charles III. The appointed governor-general, currently Marcella Liburd, lives in Government House, Basseterre, which serves as her official residence.
The National Assembly and the King of Saint Christopher and Nevis jointly make up the legislature of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The monarchy of Saint Kitts and Nevis is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The current monarch of Saint Kitts and Nevis, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Crown of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Saint Christopher and Nevis and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Saint Kitts and Nevis. However, the King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
General elections were held in Saint Kitts and Nevis on 25 January 2010 for eleven of the fourteen or fifteen seats in the National Assembly. The other three or four members of the National Assembly will be appointed by the Governor-General after the elections.
Sam Terrence Condor is a Kittitian politician and former Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The Constitution of Saint Kitts and Nevis was adopted on 23 June 1983 and took effect when the country became independent on 19 September 1983. It consists of 11 chapters and various schedules, which establish the rights, responsibilities and definition of the citizens of the federation. It also provides the form and structure of government, and enumerates the powers of the different branches of government. Its treatment of the island of Nevis is rather unusual among federated nations.
Sir Samuel Weymouth Tapley Seaton was the fourth governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 2015 to 2023.
Dame Marcella Althea Liburd is a Kittitian politician who is the fifth governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis, serving since 2023. Trained as a teacher and then as a barrister and solicitor, Liburd was the first woman to serve as both the Speaker of the National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the Governor-General, as well as the first Governor-General appointed by Charles III. She has served in various Ministerial positions including Acting Prime Minister and Chair of the Opposition for the Labour Party. She was the first woman to serve as Chair in the 81-year-old organization’s history.
India–Saint Kitts and Nevis relations refers to the international relations that exist between India and Saint Kitts and Nevis. The High Commission of India in Georgetown, Guyana is concurrently accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis. India opened its Honorary Consulate in Basseterre in August 2008.
The primary law governing Saint Kitts and Nevis nationality regulations is the Saint Christopher and Nevis Citizenship Act, which came into force on 28 February 1984.
Snap general elections were held in Saint Kitts and Nevis on 5 August 2022, following the decision of incumbent prime minister Timothy Harris to dissolve the parliament on 11 May. Snap elections are constitutionally required within ninety days following the dissolution of parliament.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis is an elected representative in the National Assembly who is appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. Historically, the person appointed to the position of Deputy Prime Minister is usually the Deputy Leader of the political party that holds the majority of seats in the national assembly or the Leader of another party in the case of a coalition government. The instrument of appointment of the Deputy Prime Minister can be found in the Constitution of St. Christopher and Nevis. The Deputy Prime Minister appointment can be revoked by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Events from the year 2022 in Saint Kitts and Nevis
Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition is a constitutionally sanctioned office in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The Constitution requires that there shall be a Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis who shall be appointed by the Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Usually the person comes from the largest group in the National Assembly that is not in government.
