In this election, the government increased its majority in parliament to 11 seats. The UWP has a reputation for being the more conservative of the two major political parties, but they are similar ideologically. While past campaigns have been marked by occasional acrimony and violence, the elections themselves are generally considered to be free and fair. The economy has evolved from its historic reliance on sugar. It has diversified somewhat, including in the agriculture, industry, and tourism sectors.
Agriculture now is dominated by banana cultivation.
There are a large number of small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises. This sector has been largely responsible for the extensive socio-economic changes that have taken place in St. Lucia since the 1960s. Its effects are felt in a number of areas, particularly transport, distribution, and construction. Manufacturing, a small but robust sector, has been encouraged by generous regulatory and tax relief, waiver of import duties, provision of factory shells, and other government incentives. A relatively ambitious diversification program has stimulated production of paper, metal products, textiles, beer, furniture, chemicals, and electronic components.