St Vincent prime minister seeks record sixth term in tight election | St Vincent and the Grenadines
Voters in St Vincent and the Grenadines will go to the polls on Thursday, with Ralph Gonsalves seeking to become prime minister for a sixth consecutive term.
The elections are expected to be tightly contested between the ruling Union Labor Party, which has been in power since 2001, and the opposition New Democratic Party. In the last election, the ULP won nine out of 15 seats but the NDP took the popular vote.
ULP was campaigning The party’s economic development is on record. According to a recent news World Bank assessmentEconomic growth is expected to remain strong at 4% in 2025. The report stated that “despite multiple shocks in recent years, economic activity has recovered and remained strong in 2025, supported by tourism and infrastructure investments.”
Over the past decade, the country has suffered setbacks such as the pandemic, the La Soufrière volcanic eruption in 2021, and devastating storms like Hurricane Beryl, which devastated the archipelago last year.
Gonsalves presided over the construction of the country’s first international airport, facilitating a tourism boom that attracted hotel brands such as Shoes and Holiday Inn.
The Prime Minister has been a global advocate for climate justice and slavery reparations. It also prioritized education, allowing people who normally could not afford university to obtain undergraduate and graduate degrees through scholarships.
But there is opposition He blamed the ruling party He spoke of “failure and broken promises”, citing the rising cost of living and unemployment, especially among young people.
NDP promised More and better-paying jobs to address rising crime and violence and improve healthcare and infrastructure. The opposition has also vowed to follow other Caribbean countries in launching a program that would allow individuals to gain citizenship by making significant financial contributions to the economy.
St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is the only member of the seven-state Organization of Eastern Caribbean States that does not offer citizenship by investment.
Adrian Fraser, historian and former head of the University of the West Indies’ global campus at SVG, said some people questioned Gonsalves’ leadership.
He added: “That party has a leader who is 79 years old. He will be 80 next year. So there are those who are calling for change and wondering why the leader, the prime minister, wants to continue at that age.”
The NDP is led by Godwin Friday, who took the reins in 2016 and has been in parliament since 2001.
Part of the party’s campaigns have focused on the government’s vaccination mandate during the pandemic; This required the injection of most front-line workers and caused some to lose their jobs.
Gonsalves was hospitalized after being hit in the head with a rock during a demonstration against the mandate in 2021.
During this year’s election campaign, questions arose about whether the NDP government would end close diplomatic relations with Taiwan to pursue a relationship with China.
NDP he said in 2016 It will adapt to Beijing and adopt the “one China” policy. Diplomatic acceptance of Beijing’s position That there is only one Chinese government and that Taiwan is a breakaway province.
Under Gonsalves’ leadership, SVG continued cooperation with Taiwan on infrastructure, education and healthcare. The relationship has yielded benefits such as scholarships, support for the international airport and help building a state-of-the-art hospital.
Latest NDP manifesto It does not state a position regarding Taiwan. He talks about a “review of international partnerships”, but also about broadening and deepening relations with other countries, and only mentions the UK.
Emanuel Quashie, a lecturer in international relations at the University of the West Indies, said the NDP needs to clarify its position, considering it once suggested switching to China.
“Such a move from Taiwan to China would have serious, not only political but also economic consequences for SVG…especially for students currently studying in Taiwan and some of the projects that Taiwan is currently funding…like the modern hospital we are building,” Quashie said.
