St. Lucia prime minister secures a second term after a decisive win at the polls

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — St. Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has secured a second term in office after a decisive electoral win in the eastern Caribbean island.

Pierre's Saint Lucia Labor Party beat Allen Chastanet’s United Workers Party to secure 14 of 15 seats in Parliament following Monday’s general election.

“There is a place in Parliament for the opposition, and we will move forward and work moving forward together,” Pierre said late Monday.

He is scheduled to be sworn in by the end of the week and appoint a new Cabinet next week.

The island of some 168,000 people is heavily dependent on tourism. It has an 11% unemployment rate and a more than 20% poverty rate.