Elections were held for all the members of the 17-seat House of Assembly following premature dissolution of this body on 12 November 2001. Elections had previously taken place in May 1997.  Parliament was dissolved on 12 November 2001, paving the way for the 3 December 2001 general election, a poll called six months ahead of schedule.

Elections were held for all 17 elected seats in the House of Assembly by first-past-the-post voting in single member constituencies. Following the elections, a Speaker is elected, who may be from outside the House.

A record five political parties presented 51 candidates for the elections. At stake were the 17 seats in the House of Assembly. The main contenders were the ruling St Lucia Labour Party (SLP), which was seeking a second-consecutive five-year term, and the United Workers' Party (UWP) led by Dr. Morella Joseph.

On 23 November 2001, the electoral campaign was launched with the nomination of 51 candidates. During the short, tough campaign, the opposition UWP, warning that Saint Lucia was facing its worst economic crisis, presented new proposals to ensure a more prosperous future. The creation of 5,000 new jobs over the next five years, the revitalisation of the banana industry and the establishment of a venture capital fund to assist manufacturers were among the key policy guidelines outlined by the National Alliance (NA).

The SLP, which billed itself as "By Far The Best" (party) was returned to power. According to electoral officials, it won 14 of the 17 seats at stake. The other three went to the main opposition party UWP.  Voter turnout was 52.3%.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Kenny Anthony, was sworn into office on 6 December 2001 for a second five-year term. On 10 December, he named a new 15-member Cabinet.

The leader of the UWP, Dr. Morella Joseph, failed to win a seat. Marcus Nicholas served as leader of the parliamentary opposition. Former Prime Minister Sir John Compton came out of retirement to become Leader of the Opposition UWP in 2005.