GEORGETOWN, Guyana — President Irfaan Ali on Friday morning congratulated St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister-elect, Godwin Friday, on his party’s sweeping victory in tThursday’s general elections, while extending heartfelt appreciation to outgoing Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves for more than two decades of regional leadership.
In a statement issued on his Facebook page on Friday on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, Ali said the election marked “an important moment” for St. Vincent and the Grenadines and wished him a successful tenure. He affirmed Guyana’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and working closely with the incoming administration to advance shared regional priorities.
“At a time when the Caribbean faces both new opportunities and shared challenges, I am confident that our partnership will continue to grow in ways that benefit our peoples and our region,” Ali said.
Friday’s New Democratic Party (NDP) clinched a historic landslide on Thursday, winning 14 of 15 seats in the House of Assembly, according to preliminary results carried by Reuters and other international outlets. The result ended the Unity Labour Party’s (ULP) 24-year hold on power. Gonsalves, who has been one of the Caribbean’s most prominent political figures and its longest-serving sitting prime minister, was the only ULP candidate to retain a seat.
International media described the outcome as one of the most dramatic political shifts in the region in recent years. The Guardian reported that the scale of the NDP victory signaled widespread public appetite for change, while regional commentators noted that the result marked the close of an era dominated by Gonsalves’s influence in both SVG and CARICOM.
Ali paid warm tribute to Gonsalves, noting that his long service to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and his unwavering advocacy for Caribbean integration earned him respect across the Community.
“His contributions to the advancement of CARICOM will be long remembered,” Ali said.