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St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a new prime minister for the first time in 24 years. Godwin Friday of the New Democratic Party defeated Ralph Gonsalves of the Unity Labor Party.
Gonsalves was first elected in 2001 and became one of the world’s longest serving democratic leaders. He was a strong supporter of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
After losing the election, his party wrote a short message on Facebook: “We love you, SVG, and we will keep working and advocating for you. This is not the end, it is the beginning.”
Friday’s moderate conservative party won 14 out of the 15 constituencies in the eastern Caribbean nation. Speaking to supporters in Kingstown, he said people had called for “a better future for ourselves.” Crowds cheered “Friday! Friday! Friday!” as he arrived on the main island.
SVG is the only independent state among the seven-member Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States not to offer citizenship by investment.
The Guardian reported that Emanuel Quashie, an international relations lecturer at the University of the West Indies, blamed Ralph Gonsalves’s defeat on a combination of factors. “There was a lot of anti-Ralph sentiment given that he was in power for so long. Granted, he did do a lot in terms of transforming SVG,” he said.
“He took us through the global financial crisis. He took us through the global pandemic. He took us through the La Soufrière volcanic eruption, Hurricane Beryl and previous climate change episodic events. But I think that wasn’t a concern for many of the voters either. I also think that the messaging from the ULP was not strong and convincing enough because I did not see them leaning enough on a lot of their wins.”
Quashie also said that the government’s vaccine mandate during the Covid-19 crisis also had a serious impact on support for the ULP, as some government workers chose to leave their jobs rather than be vaccinated.
Friday explained that his campaign began with small village meetings that slowly grew into wider support. He also said he knew the country faced many challenges.
Later that day, Friday was sworn in during a short, serious ceremony. He promised to improve living standards and serve everyone, no matter their political views. He added that while the country is poor, it could make better use of what it has.
Friday has pledged to create jobs, raise wages, improve security and invest in major infrastructure. The country of just over 100,000 people relies heavily on tourism and has high unemployment and poverty rates. It is also still recovering from the 2021 eruption of the La Soufrière volcano.
His party has supported introducing a citizenship-by-investment program and building stronger ties with China. In contrast, Gonsalves kept close relations with Taiwan.
Recently, Gonsalves helped sign a free movement deal that will make it easier for Vincentians to travel to some Caribbean countries without visas or work permits. He also played a key role in arranging a 2023 meeting between Venezuela and Guyana over their border dispute.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness praised Gonsalves for his strong leadership in Caricom and his push for regional unity. He also congratulated Friday and said his election marked a new chapter for the country.
Sources: AP News, CNN, The Guardian.
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