Government and Legal System

The political system of Nevis is based upon the British Parliamentary system with Queen Elizabeth II being represented by a Governor- General at the federal level and a deputy Governor-General resident on Nevis. Nevis takes part in the Federal Elections which entitles it to have three elected representatives in the Federal Parliament. Nevis also has a vigorous parliamentary democracy with its own unicameral legislature and government. Executive authority is exercised by the cabinet appointed by the Governor General in consultation with and under the leadership of the Premier and thus has autonomy in certain of its internal affairs, most notably financial services. The Assembly has a total of eight members - five are directly elected in single-member constituencies using the first-past-the-post system while three are appointed.

There are two major political parties - the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM). In the 2006 Nevis elections, called on 10 July 2006, three months ahead of the constitutional deadline, the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) won three of the five seats in the Nevis Island Assembly, while the incumbent Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) won two. The victory for the NRP and party leader Joseph Parry ended 15 years of governing by the CCM.

The laws of Nevis is based on the English Common Law. The court system is administered through the Magistrate's Court, the High Court and the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Justice, with a final right of appeal to the Privy Council in the UK. One judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis.