Ralph Gonsalves Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 29 March 2001. Date of Birth: 08.08.1946 Country: Grenada

Biography of Ralph Gonsalves

Ralph Gonsalves has been the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines since March 29, 2001. He was born into a family of successful farmers and a saleswoman, and is a descendant of immigrants from the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Gonsalves received his primary education at a Catholic school in Colonarie and continued his studies at a boys' secondary school in Kingstown. In 1971, he graduated from the University of the West Indies (Mona campus in Jamaica) with degrees in economics and public administration. He was awarded the "Student of the Year" prize at his university in 1969. In 1974, he obtained a PhD from the University of Manchester. His dissertation focused on the political economy of trade unions and industrial relations in Uganda from 1950 to 1971. During his research, he spent a year at Makerere University in Uganda.

In the 1980s, Gonsalves became a junior barrister at the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn in London and later became a full barrister in 1981. For 12 years, he worked as a lawyer at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in Castries, Saint Lucia, handling a wide range of cases, particularly in the areas of constitutional, criminal, administrative, matrimonial, contractual, and property law.

From an activist to an opposition leader, Gonsalves was actively involved in politics during his university years. He served as the President of the University of the West Indies Guild of Students and led a debate club. In 1968, he organized a student protest against the deportation of Walter Rodney by the Jamaican government.

Gonsalves was a member of the Marxist United Liberation Movement of Yulimo (YULIMO). When it merged with several other socialist organizations to form the Unity Labour Party (ULP) from 1979 to 1982, he became its leader. Since 1994, he has been the Deputy Leader and, since December 6, 1998, the Leader of the Unity Labour Party, which was formed in 1994 through the merger of the Labour Party with his Movement for National Unity. He initially served as a member of the House of Assembly and the Deputy Leader of the ULP under then-leader Vincent Beache. On October 1, 1999, he officially became the Leader of the parliamentary opposition.

Gonsalves became the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2001, succeeding Arnim Eustace, after his party won the parliamentary elections. He has maintained his position after subsequent elections in 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020.

Throughout his tenure, he has held various ministerial positions, including Minister of Finance, Planning, Economic Development, Labour, and Information Technology from 2001 to 2010. Since 2005, he has also been the Minister of National Security. From 2010 to 2015, he held the positions of Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, National Security, Legislation, Energy, Maritime Affairs, and Grenadines Affairs. Since December 2015, he has continued to serve as the Minister of Finance, National Security, Legislation, and Grenadines Affairs. In 2017, he handed over the position of Minister of Finance to his son, a parliament member and former UN ambassador, Camillo Gonsalves.

Gonsalves initiated a referendum in 2009 to establish a republican form of government in the country, but it was rejected by 55.6% of the voters. In 2016, he abolished the oath of allegiance to the Queen for public servants.

He has served as the Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on several occasions.

In the 2020 elections, his party received 49.6% of the votes and won 9 out of 15 seats in the parliament. During the campaign, Gonsalves highlighted his achievements, including the construction of the Argyle and Canouan airports and the reduced reliance on loans from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. He also claimed that foreign strategists led the opposition campaign and spied on the ULP.

Gonsalves' left-wing beliefs, radical economic reforms, and establishment of relations with Venezuela and Cuba have earned him the nickname "Comrade Ralph." He has made significant changes in the field of education, expanding access to education for the population. He is a proponent of the death penalty and is known for fulfilling his pre-election promises.

In addition to his political career, Gonsalves is the author of several books on economics and politics, including topics related to the Caribbean Basin, Africa, trade unionism, comparative politico-economics, and economic development. He has also written a number of pamphlets.

On August 6, 2021, he was injured during a protest against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination. He was walking through a crowd demonstrating outside the parliament building when someone threw a stone at him, hitting him in the head. He was hospitalized and later transferred to Barbados for an MRI.