Prime Minister Gaston Browne has shared that he was confident that his Labour Party colleague – the incumbent Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Dr Ralph Gonsalves – would have secured victory in Thursday’s general election.
“My dear brother Ralph is an institution in St Vincent and the Grenadines and I felt confident about his victory and would have congratulated him in advance of the polls,” Browne told Observer on Friday.
Gonsalves, who heads the Unity Labour Party (ULP) government, made history when he secured his fifth term in office as prime minister. It is the first time that a prime minister has won five consecutive terms since SVG gained independence in 1979, making Gonsalves the country’s longest serving prime minister.
According to preliminary results released by the SVG Electoral Office, the ULP won nine of the 15 seats in parliament – an increase of three seats following the last two general elections.
The opposition New Democratic Party, led by Godwin Friday, secured six seats.
“Now that he has achieved the resounding victory, I would like to congratulate the five-star general and his Unity Labour Party on this unprecedented fifth term. I look forward to further strengthen the fraternal relations that I enjoy with him and the bilateral relations between both our countries as we continue to work assiduously to bolster the regional integration movement,” Browne added.
Meanwhile, Harold Lovell, the political leader of the United Progressive Party, also congratulated Gonsalves on his win, calling his achievement “monumental”.
“Undoubtedly, leadership matters and the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines have demonstrated their confidence in your astute and patriotic leadership. We salute you and your party and extend sincere good wishes for another successful term in office,” Lovell said.
Gonsalves, now 74 years old, became the country’s prime minister after his party won a majority government in the 2001 general election.