General Election, 27 November 2025

A general election in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was held on 27 November 2025 to renew the 15 directly elected members of the House of Assembly (the House also includes a Speaker and six senators appointed on nomination by government and opposition) (IPU 2025). The country is a parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy, with executive authority vested in a Prime Minister and Cabinet drawn from the legislature. A total of 32 candidates contested the 15 constituencies. Two major political parties participated: the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Unity Labor Party (ULP).

The electoral process was conducted under the Representation of the People Act No. 7 of 1982, which outlines voter registration, ballot procedures, campaigning rules, and electoral administration to ensure constitutional compliance and electoral integrity (SVG 1982).

Election management is led by the Electoral Office, a department under the Ministry of National Security, Air and Sea Port Development. The Supervisor of Elections, appointed by the Governor-General, oversees the electoral process and appoint the head of poll stations and poll clerks for each constituency (SVG 1982).

The election was impacted by Hurricane Beryl which had occurred the previous year (on 1 July 2024), killing five people and destroying about 90 per cent of homes on Union Island (CRS/Empower/Caritas 2024). Severe damage and the large scale of displacement prompted the electoral authorities to introduce a special voter registration period to protect the voting rights of displaced and elderly voters living in affected areas (Governor-General 2025).

Political parties and stakeholders participated in a voluntary Code of Ethical Political Conduct ahead of the election, stressing peaceful campaigning, tolerance, respect for rights, and a commitment to free and fair elections (iWitness News 2025).

Polling Day was generally assessed as orderly and peaceful. A Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Election Observation Mission reported that the electoral process was conducted in a calm environment, with established procedures largely respected. No systematic or widespread irregularities were reported or documented in observer statements—but party agents were active within the 100-yard boundary of polling (CARICOM EOM 2025). 

Voting was conducted smoothly, although there were some incidents such as opening delays, lack of preparation of the stations, and insufficient poll staff in some stations (CARICOM EOM 2025). Domestic observers (the National Monitoring and Consultative Mechanism, NMCM) also reported that they received complaints from voters about long waiting lines, and delays at some poll stations (Searchlight 2025).

Out of 32 candidates seven were women. Two women were directly elected to the House of Assembly; alongside the Speaker and three of six senators this brought the proportion of women in the full legislature to 30.4 per cent (IPU 2025).

The election resulted in a decisive victory for the New Democratic Party, led by Godwin Friday, which secured 14 of the elected seats; the Unity Labor Party, led by longtime Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, won just one seat (IPU 2025). Gonsalves had been  Prime Minister since 2001 and one of the world’s longest-serving democratic leaders (Aljazeera 2025). The outcome marked a significant political transition, ending 24 years of the Unity Labor Party’s administration. Godwin Friday was subsequently sworn in as Prime Minister on 28 November 2025.

There were 103,524 registered voters (Electoral Office 2025) and turnout was 62.31 per cent, a moderate decline on the 66.95 per cent recorded at the previous general election in 2020 (International IDEA n.d.). Voter engagement was higher in areas such as North Windward (~73.2 per cent) and lower in Central Kingstown (~57.6 per cent) (Electoral Office n.d.).