St Kitts and Nevis
Country in the West Indies, in the E Caribbean Sea, part of the Leeward
Islands.
Government
The islands of St Kitts (St Christopher) and Nevis form a federal state
within the Commonwealth. The constitution dates from independence 1983.
The governor general is the formal head of state, representing the British
monarch, and appoints the prime minister and cabinet, who are drawn
from and responsible to the assembly. There is a single-chamber national
assembly of 14 members, 11 elected by universal suffrage and three appointed
by the governor general, two on the advice of the prime minister and
one on the advice of the leader of the opposition, for a term of up
to five years. Nevis Island has its own assembly of five elected and
three nominated members, a prime minister and cabinet, and a deputy
governor general. It has the option to secede in certain conditions
laid down in the constitution.
History
The original Native American inhabitants were Caribs. St Kitts (then
called Liamuiga) and Nevis were named by Christopher Columbus 1493.
St Kitts became Britain's first West Indian colony 1623, and Nevis was
settled soon afterwards. France also claimed ownership until 1713. Sugar
plantations were worked by slaves. The islands were part of the Leeward
Islands Federation 1871-1956 and a single colony with the British Virgin
Islands until 1960. In 1967 St Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla attained internal
self-government within the Commonwealth as associated states, and Robert
Bradshaw, leader of the Labour Party, became the first prime minister.
In 1970 the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) was formed, calling for separation
for Nevis, and the following year Anguilla, disagreeing with the government
in St Kitts, chose to return to being a British dependency. Bradshaw
died 1978 and was succeeded by his deputy, Paul Southwell. He died the
following year, to be replaced by Lee L Moore.
The 1980 general election produced a People's Action Movement (PAM)-NRP
coalition government, with the PAM leader, Dr Kennedy Simmonds, as prime
minister. Independence On 1 Sept 1983 St Kitts and Nevis achieved independence.
In the 1984 general election the PAM-NRP coalition was decisively returned
to office. PAM won six out of the 11 elective assembly seats in the
1989 general election and Dr Kennedy Simmonds continued as prime minister.
Despite opposition calls for his resignation during 1993, Simmonds remained
in office and in Dec, after an inconclusive general election, established
a minority coalition government. Anti- government demonstrations followed.
A snap general election July 1995 resulted in a win for the Labour Party
(SKLP) and its leader, Denzil Douglas, became prime minister.
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