Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

House of Assembly

Political system: Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament: Unicameral
IPU membership: Yes

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Results

About the election: Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves' Unity Labour Party (ULP) won an unprecedented fifth consecutive term, taking 9 out of the 15 seats at stake. The New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Mr. Godwin Friday, took the remainder (see note 1). On 22 November, the newly elected House of Assembly (see note 2) convened and elected Ms. Rochelle Forde as its Speaker, who thereby became the first woman in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to assume the post.

During the election campaign, the major parties focused on the economy and education. The ULP promised to construct more hotels, apartments and guest houses, and create more jobs. Although the 2020 elections were held amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, the country had recorded only 64 cases and no deaths at the time of the polls.

Note 1:

Members are elected under the First Past The Post system. Although the NDP gained more votes than the ULP nationwide (32,847 against 32,523), the NDP won only six seats.

Note 2:

In addition to 15 directly elected members, the House of Assembly also includes the Speaker and 6 members, called Senators, appointed by the Governor General (4 on the government side and 2 from the opposition). Since the Attorney General is no longer an ex officio member, the 2020 legislature comprises a total of 22 members.
Number of parties winning seats: 2
Percentage of parties winning seats: 66.7%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition: 60.0%
Alternation of power after elections: No
Number of parties in government: 1
Names of parties in government: United Labour Party (ULP)

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group	Total
United Labour Party (ULP)	9
New Democratic Party (NDP)	6

Members elected, by sex

Number of men elected: 15
Number of women elected: 0

Notes:
- No women were elected in 2020.

- Three women were appointed by the Governor General (two on the government side and one from the opposition).

- On 30 November 2020, Ms. Rochelle Forde was sworn in as Speaker. She is the first woman in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to assume the post.
Percentage of women elected: 0.0%
Women Directly Elected: 0
Women Appointed: 3
Women in other categories: 1
Other notes on the elections: Note on the statutory number of members:

The House of Assembly elected in 2020 comprises the following 22 members:

- 15 directly elected members,

- Six members appointed by the Governor General (called “Senators”, four on the government side and two from the opposition),

- The Speaker.

The Attorney General is no longer an ex officio member of the House.
Sources: House of Assembly (19.11.2020)

http://election.gov.vc/election/views2020/index.php

http://electoral.gov.vc

https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com

https://www.loopnewscaribbean.com

https://www.plenglish.com

New legislature

Total number of men after the election: 18
Total number of women after the election: 4
Percentage of women after the election: 18.2%
First-term parliamentarians: No information available
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians: No information available
Date of the first session: 30 Nov 2020

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature: Rochelle Forde (Female)
Date of birth: 08 Aug 1974
Date of election: 30 Nov 2020

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

House of Assembly

Election results

Background

Candidates

Voter turnout