US EditionOne of world’s longest serving democratic leaders loses election in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Godwin Friday's New Democratic Party won 14 of 15 seats, promising economic recovery and infrastructure investment amid high unemployment and poverty, preliminary results show.
- On Friday, preliminary results showed Godwin Friday, leader of the New Democratic Party, defeated Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, ending Gonsalves's 24-year tenure since March 2001 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
- Facing 18% unemployment and a 26% poverty rate, Friday campaigned on creating jobs, raising wages, and investing in infrastructure as voters in the island group of more than 100,000 recover from the April 2021 La Soufrière eruption.
- Gonsalves's Unity Labour Party posted on Facebook after Thursday's election, saying 'We love you, SVG, and we will keep working and advocating for you' while Friday had previously run in 2020.
- Regional ties matter: under Ralph Gonsalves the country signed a free-movement deal last month, and Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, praised Gonsalves as a strong Caricom voice.
- Amid geopolitical contrasts, the New Democratic Party favors closer ties with China and a citizenship-by-investment program, contrasting with Gonsalves's Taiwan relations, and Friday said, 'This is not the end, it is the beginning.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Taiwan envoy meets with new SVG leader, extends Lai's congratulations
Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) Taiwan's ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has met with the newly elected prime minister of the Caribbean ally, Godwin Friday, to convey congratulations from President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Sunday.
The elections in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the mid-term legislative elections in Argentina, the beating of the left in Chile and the end of 20 years of socialism in Bolivia are the funeral march of the defeated left
St. Vincent and the Grenadines swears in new prime minister after 24 years as Gonsalves defeated
St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a new prime minister after 24 years, with Godwin Friday of the New Democratic Party defeating long-serving Ralph Gonsalves. Friday's victory, securing 14 out of 15 seats, signals a desire for a better future. He pledged to uplift living standards, create jobs, and improve infrastructure in the nation.
Chicago Tribune
By DÁNICA COTO SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Saint Vincent and the Grenadines sworn on Friday to a new prime minister for the first time in 24 years, after Godwin Friday of the New Democratic Party defeated Ralph Gonsalves of the Labor Unity Party. Gonsalves was elected for the first time in March 2001, making him one of the most serving democratic leaders in recent history. He was a strong advocate of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Cuba…
Opposition Wins Elections in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The New Democratic Party (NDP), the opposition party in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, won the 2025 national elections on Thursday. Godwin Friday, the party leader, will become the island’s seventh prime minister since its independence in 1979, after winning a close election against veteran former Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves. Under a simple majority system, the party that won 8 of the 15 parliamentary seats would determine the next prime min…
Opposition party wins elections in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Godwin Friday, secured a majority in Parliament, winning at least 11 of the 15 seats up for grabs, according to preliminary official results reported by the Electoral Commission. The victory makes Friday the seventh prime minister of the Caribbean nation since its independence in 1979, marking a generational and political shift after the dominance of Gonsalves, who governed uninterruptedly since 2001. The r…
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