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13 seats in the House of Assembly 7 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 63.24% ( 12.37pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Administrative divisions (parishes) |
General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 9 December 1974. [1] The result was a victory for the Saint Vincent Labour Party, which won ten of the 13 seats. Voter turnout was 63.2%. [2]
After the 1972 elections, the People's Political Party (PPP) and the Saint Vincent Labour Party (SVLP) both won six seats. The People's Political Party (PPP) managed to form a government with the support of the remaining MP James Mitchell, who won reelection as an independent after resigning from the SVLP. The "Alliance Government" was formed with Mitchell as Premier and PPP leader Ebenezer Joshua as Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance. [3]
On 18 September 1974, the House of Assembly passed a motion of no confidence; Ebenezer and Ivy Joshua had just resigned from the government due to policy disagreements with Mitchell. [4] The Assembly was then dissolved on 23 September 1974. Nomination day was 18 November 1974. [5]
A total of 31 candidates were nominated by five different political parties. Out of the parties in the Assembly, the SVLP had the largest contingent with eleven candidates. Mitchell and PPP minister Othniel Sylvester founded a splinter party and nominated eleven candidates, while the PPP nominated only three candidates. [5]
In addition, two new political parties contested the elections. The Democratic Freedom Movement was founded by Kenneth John to advocate for political reforms such as recall elections, term limits, and campaign financing regulation; [6] it nominated two candidates. [5] The West Indies National Party was led by George Hamilton Charles, founder of the Eighth Army of Liberation and former Majority Leader of the Legislative Council (1951–1957); the party nominated four candidates (including Charles). [7] [5] [8]
The SVLP won a decisive victory with ten seats, giving party leader Milton Cato his second term as Premier. Mitchell was the only successful candidate from his new party, and the Joshuas were the only successful PPP candidates. [9] While Ebenezer Joshua joined the government as Minister of Agriculture and Trade, Ivy Joshua decided to remain in opposition rather than support a coalition with the SVLP. She then became Leader of the Opposition instead of Mitchell. [10] In 1957, Ebenezer and Ivy had become the first married couple to be elected to a parliament of the British West Indies; now they became the first couple to serve on opposite benches. [10]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Vincent Labour Party | 19,579 | 69.04 | 10 | +4 | |
| Mitchell/Sylvester Faction | 4,641 | 16.37 | 1 | New | |
| People's Political Party | 3,806 | 13.42 | 2 | –4 | |
| Democratic Freedom Movement | 217 | 0.77 | 0 | New | |
| West Indies National Party | 116 | 0.41 | 0 | New | |
| Total | 28,359 | 100.00 | 13 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 28,359 | 99.25 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 215 | 0.75 | |||
| Total votes | 28,574 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 45,181 | 63.24 | |||
| Source: Nohlen | |||||
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea, where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Politics of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines takes place in the framework of a parliamentary democracy. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an independent Commonwealth realm, with Charles III as its king, represented by a governor-general, who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the cabinet. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party of the House of Assembly, and the cabinet conducts affairs of state. The governor-general exercises ceremonial functions, but reserve powers, under the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines constitution, can be used at the governor-general's discretion.
Ralph Everard Gonsalves is a Vincentian politician. He is currently the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP).
SirJames Fitz-Allen Mitchell was a Vincentian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 1984 to 2000 and as the second Premier of Saint Vincent from 1972 to 1974. He founded the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1975, and served as its president until 2000.
Robert Milton Cato,, was a socialist Vincentian politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and also held the offices Premier of Saint Vincent and Chief Minister of Saint Vincent before independence. Cato was the leader of the Saint Vincent Labour Party, and led the country through independence in 1979.
The New Democratic Party (NDP) is a moderate conservative political party in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The party is led by Godwin Friday, and is currently the official opposition in the House of Assembly.
Arnhim Ulric Eustace is a Vincentian retired politician and economist. He served as the third Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and is the former Leader of the Opposition and former president of the New Democratic Party (NDP) after resigning in 2016.
Ebenezer Theodore Joshua was a Vincentian politician and the first chief minister of Saint Vincent from 1960 to 1967. He was the Leader of the Legislative Council from 1956 to 1961.
The Saint Vincent Labour Party was a social democratic political party in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 1955 to 1994. It was the ruling party from 1967 to 1972 and again from 1974 until 1984.
General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 7 April 1972. The result was a tie between the People's Political Party and the Saint Vincent Labour Party, which both won six seats. Despite being a former member of the SVLP, the sole independent MP James Fitz-Allen Mitchell formed a government with the PPP. Voter turnout was 75.6%.
General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 5 December 1979. The result was a victory for the Saint Vincent Labour Party (SVLP), which won eleven of the thirteen seats. Voter turnout was 64%, up only slightly from 63% in 1974.
General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 15 June 1998. Although the Unity Labour Party (ULP) received a majority of the public vote, the New Democratic Party (NDP) won a majority of seats, the first time the party receiving a majority of the vote had failed to win the elections since 1966. Voter turnout was 67%.
General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 9 December 2015. The result was a victory for the Unity Labour Party, which retained its one seat majority. However, the NDP has challenged the results in two constituencies, North Windward, and Central Leeward.
Godwin Elliot Loraine Friday ; is a Vincentian politician. Friday is the Leader of the Opposition of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Member of Parliament for the Northern Grenadines, and President of the New Democratic Party.
St Clair Leacock is a Vincentian politician. He is an opposition parliament member in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Leacock is also the New Democratic Party Central Kingstown candidate for 2020 Vincentian general election.
Terrance Nathaniel Ollivierre is a Vincentian politician, teacher and vocalist. Terrance is also the New Democratic Party Southern Grenadines candidate for 2020 Vincentian general election.
Ivy Inez Joshua was a Grenadian-born seamstress and politician, who was the first woman elected to serve in the Legislative Council of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines when universal suffrage was granted. Though she won her seat in six consecutive election cycles, with a substantial majority each time she ran, Joshua was often the target of politically-based inquiries and investigations. She served in the legislature from 1958 to 1979 and simultaneously on the Executive Council from 1960 when she was appointed as the Minister of Social Services. Joshua served from 1961 to 1964 and again from 1967 to 1972 as a Minister without portfolio, before being appointed as Parliamentary Secretary and later Leader of the Opposition.
Alphonso Alpheus Dennie was a Vincentian educator who served as the Minister of Education, Community Development and Youth Affairs from 4 May 1972 to 18 September 1974. Outside of politics, he was the headmaster of schools both in the country as well as in Barbados. He spent the latter part of his career as chairman of the national electricity company and as chairman of the philatelic bureau.
Montgomery Daniel is a Vincentian politician. Montgomery is also the Unity Labour Party North Windward candidate for 2020 Vincentian general election. He has been elected as the Member of Parliament for the constituency of North Windward in the House of Assembly of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 2001. He has been the Deputy Prime Minister since 30 November 2020.
Kenneth Randolph Vincent John was a Vincentian lawyer and newspaper columnist. His column "This Week" appeared in national weekly The Vincentian over a period of thirty-nine years.
