Voters in St Vincent and the Grenadines will cast their ballots on Thursday, with Ralph Gonsalves aiming for a record sixth term as prime minister.

The election is expected to be close. The Unity Labour party has been in office since 2001. In the last election it won nine of the 15 seats, but the opposition New Democratic party won the popular vote.

The ULP is campaigning on its record of economic development. A recent World Bank report said economic growth should stay “robust at 4% in 2025”. It noted that “despite multiple shocks in recent years, economic activity recovered and remained strong in 2025, supported by tourism and infrastructure investment”.

Over the past decade the country has been hit by the pandemic, the La Soufrière volcanic eruption in 2021, and major storms such as Hurricane Beryl, which caused severe damage last year.

Gonsalves has overseen the building of the first international airport, which boosted tourism and brought in large hotel brands including Sandals and Holiday Inn.

He has also become a global advocate for climate justice and slavery reparations. His government has focused on education, helping many people study for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees through scholarships.

The opposition says the government has delivered “failure and broken promises”. It points to rising living costs and high unemployment, especially among young people.

The NDP is promising more and better-paid jobs, better healthcare and infrastructure, and action on rising crime and violence. It also says it will introduce a citizenship-by-investment programme, similar to those in other Caribbean countries.

St Vincent and the Grenadines is the only member of the six-state Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States that does not offer citizenship by investment.

Some people are questioning whether Gonsalves should stay on, said Adrian Fraser, a historian and former head of the University of the West Indies’ global campus in the country. He noted that Gonsalves is 79, the same age as President Trump, and some voters want a change in leadership.

The NDP leader is Godwin Friday, who took over in 2016 and has been an MP since 2001.

Some of the party’s campaigning has focused on the government’s pandemic vaccine mandate. Many frontline workers were required to be vaccinated, and some lost their jobs. In 2021, Gonsalves was hospitalised after being hit in the head with a stone during a protest against the mandate.

During this campaign, questions have come up about whether an NDP government would end the country’s close ties with Taiwan and instead work with China.

In 2016, the NDP said it supported Beijing and would adopt a “one China” policy, recognising China’s view that Taiwan is a breakaway province.

Since then, under Gonsalves, St Vincent and the Grenadines has kept strong ties with Taiwan, working together on infrastructure, education and healthcare. Taiwan has provided scholarships, supported the international airport, and helped build a new modern hospital.

The NDP’s latest manifesto does not state a clear position on Taiwan. It talks about “reviewing … international partnerships” and strengthening ties with other countries, but it only mentions the UK by name.

Emanuel Quashie, an international relations lecturer at the University of the West Indies, said the NDP should have been clearer because it once said it would switch to China. He warned that such a change would have major political and economic consequences. It could affect students currently studying in Taiwan and threaten projects funded by Taiwan, including the new hospital.

Source: The Guardian.