Voters in St. Vincent and the Grenadines will head to the polls on Thursday, with Ralph Gonsalves seeking a record sixth consecutive term as prime minister.
The elections are expected to be a tough contest between the ruling Unity Labor Party, which has been in power since 2001, and the opposition New Democratic Party. In the last election, the ULP won nine of the 15 seats, but the NDP won the popular vote.
The ULP is campaigning on the party’s economic growth record. According to the World Bank’s recent assessment, economic growth is expected to remain “strong at 4% in 2025”. The report said that “despite several shocks in recent years, economic activity recovered and remains strong in 2025, supported by tourism and infrastructure investment”.
Over the past decade, the country has faced setbacks such as the pandemic, the 2021 La Soufriere volcanic eruption and devastating storms like Hurricane Beryl, which devastated the archipelago last year.
Gonsalves has presided over the construction of the country’s first international airport, leading to a tourism boom that has attracted hotel brands such as Sandals and Holiday Inn.
The Prime Minister has been a global champion of climate justice and slavery reparations. He has also prioritized education, allowing people who would not otherwise be able to afford university to obtain undergraduate and graduate degrees through scholarships.
But the opposition has accused the ruling party of “failure and broken promises”, citing the rising cost of living and unemployment, especially among young people.
The NDP has promised more and better-paying jobs, addressing rising crime and violence, and improving health care and infrastructure. The opposition has also promised to follow other Caribbean countries in launching a program to allow individuals to obtain citizenship through significant financial contributions to the economy.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is the only member of the six-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 in SVG, said supporters in his party have questioned Gonsalves’ leadership.
He further said, “You have the leader of the party who is 79 years old. Next year he will be 80 years old. So there are people who are demanding change and who are wondering why the leader, the Prime Minister, would want to remain at this age.”
The NDP is led by Godwin Friday who took the reins in 2016 and has been in parliament since 2001.
Some of the party’s campaign focused on the government’s vaccine mandate during the pandemic, which required most frontline workers to be vaccinated and resulted in some losing their jobs.
In 2021, Gonsalves was taken to hospital after being hit on the head with a stone at a demonstration against the mandate.
During this year’s election campaign, questions have emerged as to whether the NDP government would sever close diplomatic ties with Taiwan in order to pursue ties with China.
The NDP said in 2016 that it would align itself with Beijing and pursue a “one China” policy, which is diplomatic acceptance of Beijing’s position that there is only one Chinese government and that Taiwan is a separate province.
Under Gonsalves’ leadership, SVG has continued to cooperate with Taiwan on infrastructure, education, and health care. The relationship has yielded benefits such as scholarships, support for an international airport and help in the construction of a state-of-the-art hospital.
The latest NDP manifesto does not specify a position on Taiwan. It talks about “reviewing international partnerships”, but also talks about broadening and deepening ties with other countries, mentioning only the UK.
Emmanuel Quashie, an international relations lecturer at the University of the West Indies, said the NDP should have clarified its position, as it once proposed switching to China.
“Such a switch from Taiwan to China will have serious not only political, but also economic implications for SVG… at least the students who are currently studying in Taiwan and some of the projects that Taiwan is currently funding… such as the modern hospital we are building,” Quashie said.
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