 St. Lucia's general election date has been announced. Prime Minister St. Lucia, the Hon. Alan Shastney, made the revelation on Monday, 5 July 2021, during an address to the nation. The Prime Minister explained that in keeping with the constitution of St. Lucia, he on Monday advised Governor-General His Excellency Sir Emanuel Neville Snack to dissolve the Parliament of St. Lucia and issue the rites of election. Hon. Shastney noted that there were three important considerations that influenced the election date. Firstly, we're very close to the resolution of the impacts matter after years of negotiations with the United States government. And it was critical for me as your Prime Minister to resolve this critical and longstanding issue which has so negatively affected our police force and our entire country for so many years. Secondly, looking at the fallout in other Caribbean islands which held elections during COVID, I was deeply concerned about a possible massive outbreak which could overwhelm our healthcare system. I've been working for many months trying to source additional doses of the vaccine so we could have a larger percentage of our population vaccinated before the election. We continue to work with CARICOM to try to obtain the necessary quantity to protect our people. The Prime Minister also explained that he was very concerned about the many disruptions to regular schooling which students have had to endure over the past 18 months, having only recently settled back into a normal school routine. Noting that many schools serve as polling stations, he considered that the time required to have classrooms repaired for an election, sanitized and reorganized thereafter, would have resulted in a disruption of about a week, something which Hon. Shasne explained that he wanted to avoid, ensuring that classes were over before elections. Highlighting that the country still amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister urged everyone to continue adhering to the protocols. As we head into elections, I wish to advise you all that both political parties have agreed to abide by protocols established by the Chief Medical Officer and the Police Commissioner with a view to keeping us all safe and healthy. I implore all of you to follow these. I close tonight by announcing that the general elections will be held on July 26, 2021 and that the nomination day will be July 16, 2021. During the campaign, let us treat each other with respect and kindness. I urge all of you to stay safe, to stay strong and to stay united. Once again, St. Lucia's next general election will be held on July 26, 2021, while nomination day will be held on July 16, 2021.