NDP Clinches Election Victory in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Dr. Godwin Friday, the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), has been officially declared the new Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) following a decisive election victory.

This marks the end of 24 years under a different leadership. The NDP won the election held on Thursday, successfully ending the ruling Unity Labour Party’s (ULP) dominance in the Caribbean nation.

Ralph Gonsalves, a significant figure in Caribbean politics, failed to secure his sixth consecutive term in the St. Vincent 2025 elections. The election results show that Gonsalves’ ULP suffered a staggering defeat against the NDP, losing 14-1.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness congratulated Dr. Friday in a post on X, expressing Jamaica’s commitment to its friendship with Saint Vincent and commending the country’s “peaceful and democratic process.”

Taiwan’s ambassador also offered congratulations to the NDP.

Notably, Saint Vincent remains one of Taipei’s few formal diplomatic allies, although the NDP has previously suggested a shift in alignment towards China.

However, the party’s election manifesto did not include plans to sever ties with Taipei.

This victory represents a significant setback for Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, one of the longest-serving democratically elected leaders worldwide, who has been in power since 2001 and was pursuing an unprecedented sixth consecutive five-year term.

The St. Vincent Times reported that this election signifies a landmark political transformation, as the NDP has regained control after a quarter-century absence from the government’s central leadership.

Dr. Godwin Friday will now become the island’s seventh prime minister since gaining independence in 1979, following a fiercely contested race against the long-serving Gonsalves.

The NDP’s strategic campaigning resulted in a strong early win of 14 parliamentary seats, effectively ending Gonsalves’ extended rule.

As the new Prime Minister prepares to take office, all eyes will be on his proposed policy initiatives and strategies for addressing the island’s economic and social challenges.

The ULP acknowledged the election results in a Facebook post, stating, “We love you, SVG, and we will keep working and advocating for you. This is not the end, it is the beginning.”

The election was marked by a stark ideological divide between Gonsalves’ ULP and the opposition NDP. While the ULP focused on continuity in foreign policy, the NDP clearly advocated for a strategic pivot towards closer relations with China and a move to Citizenship by Investment (CBI).

Both major parties fielded 15 candidates each, alongside two independent female candidates who also participated in the electoral contest.

Gonsalves, who first rose to power by defeating the NDP in 2001, has been a dominant political figure in the Caribbean nation for over two decades, securing a historic tenure in the country’s modern political landscape.

The NDP declared Friday a holiday and commenced celebrations from the Grenadines Wharf in Kingstown, with festivities spreading across the nation.