Taiwan congratulates St. Lucia's PM on winning re-election

Taipei, Dec. 2 (CNA) The Taiwan government on Tuesday congratulated St. Lucian Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and his ruling Labour Party (SLP) on securing a majority in Monday's general election, putting Pierre on course for another term in office.

Voters in the Caribbean nation elected all 17 members of the House of Assembly on Monday. The SLP won 14 seats, delivering a decisive victory that ensured the party would retain control of the legislature and re-elect Pierre as prime minister.

In a press statement, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Ambassador to St. Lucia Nicole Su (蘇瑩君) had promptly conveyed congratulations on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan to Pierre and the newly elected lawmakers.

MOFA also praised St. Lucia for holding an "open, transparent and peaceful" election, saying the result reflected the St. Lucian people's firm commitment to democratic values.

Taiwan looks forward to continuing to work closely with Pierre's government to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation, MOFA added.

St. Lucia is one of 12 countries worldwide that maintain diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan's official name, rather than the People's Republic of China. The two countries first established relations in 1984, but ties were severed in 1997 when St. Lucia switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

Diplomatic relations were restored in April 2007, after which the PRC ended its ties with St. Lucia.