MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

After 24 years in power, Comrade Ralph loses St Vincent and the Grenadines elections

The 79-year-old Gonsalves has been in office for 24 consecutive years

After 24 consecutive years in office, St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves -also known as Comrade Ralph for his leftwing stance- lost Thursday's elections to historian and political scientist Dr. Goodwin Friday of the center-right New Democratic Party (NDP).

The 79-year-old Gonsalves of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) was one of the world's longest-serving democratically elected leaders.

The NDP won a significant majority of the seats in the 15-member parliament, securing at least 11 seats, though some final counts suggest the NDP may have won up to 14 seats.

The conservative force, which ruled from 1984 to 2001, got 57.61% of the popular vote, a notable increase from the last election in 2020, where the ULP won the majority of seats despite the NDP winning the popular vote.

After his second bid for power, Dr Friday will now become the island's seventh Prime Minister since independence in 1979. His administration is expected to pursue policy initiatives that contrast sharply with those of the ULP, focusing on economic and diplomatic shifts.

The NDP has proposed introducing a Citizenship-by-Investment program to generate national revenue. Additionally, the party plans to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan —which St. Vincent has recognized since 1981— in favor of closer relations with mainland China.

Tuesday's defeat marks a significant political turnover for the small nation, which is a member of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) —which includes Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and other Caribbean states— and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac).