Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves selected to contest upcoming St. Vincent elections

St. Vincent Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has been chosen as the ruling Unity Labour Party’s (ULP) candidate to contest the North Central Windward constituency in the next general elections, which are widely expected this year ahead of the February 2026 constitutional deadline.

Gonsalves, who recently celebrated his 79th birthday, is among the longest-serving heads of government in the Caribbean. He secured the party’s nomination at the ULP constituency conference held over the past weekend.

His son, Finance Minister Camillo Gonsalves, told supporters that despite his age, the prime minister “still has more energy than the rest of the party members.” He added, “We’re celebrating his nomination and acceptance as the candidate for North Central Windward.”

The ULP, which has been in power since March 2001, will be seeking a sixth consecutive term under Gonsalves’s leadership, who has served nearly all of the 27 years since the merger of his Movement for National Unity and the St. Vincent Labour Party formed the ULP.

Known for his longevity in politics, Gonsalves has said he has “the youngest brain” in his Cabinet and has contested every general election in St. Vincent and the Grenadines since 1979. He has represented North Central Windward since 1994.

Camillo Gonsalves pointed out the challenges posed by the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP), noting that they have fielded 10 different candidates in the past 10 elections for the constituency.

“They don’t have anybody rooted in North Central Windward who will bear the slings and arrows and work for the people. They try something, they lose, and they’re gone. They try the next thing,” he said.

“But Ralph Gonsalves has stayed with you through defeats, through victories, through hard times and good times. He has been with you as your friend and your partner and your leader in North Central Windward and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

The finance minister also expressed confidence that no opposition “weapon” against the prime minister would succeed. “He is here to lift and advance the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He’s doing God’s work,” Camillo Gonsalves said.

“And great is his reward. And great has been his reward as the representative of North Central Windward and the representative of St. Vincent and the Grenadines as its leader. And great shall be the reward again, when he is re-elected.”