Ralph Everard Gonsalves (born 8 August 1946) is a Vincentian politician who has served as

prime minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines This article contains a list of prime ministers of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Constitutional basis The office of prime minister is established by section 51 of the country's constitution, which provides that the governor-general shall ap ...

and the leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) since 2001.Profile
, caribbeanelections.com; accessed 1 September 2014. Gonsalves is the longest continuously serving Prime Minister since St. Vincent's independence in 1979. He became prime minister after his party won a

majority government A majority government is a government by one or more governing parties that hold an absolute majority of seats in a legislature. Such a government can consist of one party that holds a majority on its own, or be a coalition government of multi ...

in the 2001 general election. He was the first prime minister from the newly constructed ULP, following a merger of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Labour Party and the

Movement for National Unity The Movement for National Unity was a political party in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It was formed shortly before the 1984 general elections by a split from the United People's Movement due to the refusal of most party members to disown Fide ...

.Profile
, caribbeanelections.com; accessed 1 September 2014. Gonsalves has been Member of Parliament (MP) for the

constituency An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

of North Central Windward since

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

. In 1994, upon the formation of the Unity Labour Party he became deputy leader, and became leader of the party in 1998. With Gonsalves as leader, the ULP won a majority in the popular vote in every general election from 1998 through 2015, though it failed to secure the majority of parliamentary seats in the 1998 election. In 2020, the ULP won the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

, but did not win the popular vote. On 7 November 2020, Gonsalves was sworn in for his fifth term as prime minister. Gonsalves has been the longest-serving democratically-elected state leader since Samoan PM

Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi Susuga Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Neioti Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi (born 14 February 1944) is a Samoan politician and economist who served as the sixth prime minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021. Tuilaepa is Samoa's longest serving prime minister and ...

was replaced in 2021.

Early life and education

Gonsalves, known affectionately as "Comrade Ralph", was born in Colonarie, Saint Vincent, British Windward Islands to his father, Alban Gonsalves, a farmer and small businessman (now deceased), and his mother, Theresa Francis, a small businesswoman. His ancestors came to

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, 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 south ...

in 1845 as indentured servants from the Portuguese island of

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

. Gonsalves attended Colonarie Roman Catholic School, and later the St. Vincent Grammar School. He then enrolled at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

, where he completed a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

. He later returned there to earn a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

, which he completed in 1971. In 1974, he completed a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in government at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

. Gonsalves was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1981. He also attended

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

in Uganda according to his address at the United Nations during the Africa Day event on 25 May 2019.

Political career

Gonsalves became involved in politics at university, as president of the University of West Indies' Guild of Undergraduates and Debating Society. In 1968, he led a student protest of the deportation of historian and intellectual

Walter Rodney Walter Anthony Rodney (23 March 1942 – 13 June 1980) was a Guyanese historian, political activist and academic. His notable works include '' How Europe Underdeveloped Africa'', first published in 1972. He was assassinated in Georgetown, ...

by the Jamaican government. In 1994, Gonsalves became the deputy leader of the Unity Labour Party. After the resignation of Vincent Beache, Gonsalves became leader of the party in 1998. He was appointed

leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

from December 1999 to January 2001. Gonsalves later led the Unity Labour Party to win the 2001 general election, becoming prime minister and

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

. His ULP was re-elected in the 2005 general election. In the 2010 general election, Gonsalves and the ULP were narrowly re-elected with 51.11% of the popular vote.Profile
caribbean360.com; accessed 1 September 2014. In 2009 Gonsalves and the ULP led a referendum campaign
caribbean360.com; accessed 1 September 2014. in favour of constitutional reform that would have abolished the country's

constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...

, replacing

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

Profile
pdba.georgetown.edu; accessed 1 September 2014. with a non-executive

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

. The

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

was defeated, with 55.64% of voters rejecting the changes.Profile
, antillean.org, 26 November 2009; accessed 1 September 2014. Gonsalves has persisted in his calls for the establishment of a presidency, proposing another referendum in 2022 to replace the monarchy while also voicing support to rename places in the country named after colonial figures such as Victoria Park. In November 2017 Gonsalves gave up the portfolio of

to his son, Camillo Gonsalves. On 3 July 2020, Gonsalves was elected Chairman of the

Caribbean Community The Caribbean Community (abbreviated as CARICOM or CC) is an intergovernmental organisation that is a Political association, political and economic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) and five associated members thro ...

succeeding Mia Amor Mottley. His 6-month term ended on 1 January 2021, and he was succeeded by

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

Prime Minister,

Keith Rowley Keith Christopher Rowley (born 24 October 1949) is a Trinidadian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 2015 to 2025. He was the leader the People's National Movement (PNM) from 2010 to 2025 and was ...

. In November 2020, Ralph Gonsalves,

Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines This article contains a list of prime ministers of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Constitutional basis The office of prime minister is established by section 51 of the country's constitution, which provides that the governor-general shall ap ...

since 2001, made history by securing the fifth consecutive victory of his Unity Labour Party (ULP) in general election. Gonsalves attended the

coronation of Charles III The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, Camilla, as Monarchy of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth re ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

along with governor-general

Susan Dougan Dame Susan Dilys Dougan ( Ryan; born 3 March 1955) is the Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 1 August 2019. She is the first woman to hold the office. She was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and S ...

on 6 May 2023. Gonsalves met with the King and other leaders of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

the day prior. Gonsalves supports

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

. Gonsalves helped to organize a meeting in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines between

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

President

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...

and Guyanese President

Irfaan Ali Mohamed Irfaan Ali (born 25 April 1980) is a Guyanese people, Guyanese politician serving as the tenth and current president of Guyana since 2020. A member of the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), he previously served as the minister of ...

to discuss the 2023 Guyana-Venezuela crisis between the two nations. Gonsalves called on Maduro and Ali "to de-escalate the situation" and engage in "appropriate dialogue". Also invited to the meeting was Brazilian President

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...

Outside politics

Gonsalves practices law before the

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is a superior court of record for the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including six independent states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and N ...

. He has written and published on a range of matters including the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

trade unionism A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

, comparative political economy, and developmental issues generally.

Personal life

Gonsalves has been married twice; currently he is married to Eloise Harris. He has two sons by his first marriage, Camillo and Adam; one son by his second wife, Storm; and two daughters, Isis and Soleil. Camillo followed his father into politics, and is currently serving as

. On August 5, 2021, at a protest against mandatory vaccination from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

organized by trade unions representing nurses, police and other workers, Gonsalves was attacked with a projectile near the entrance to Parliament. He sustained visible injuries to his head in the attack and was rushed to the hospital.

International honours

* : **

ARG Order of the Liberator San Martin - Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Liberator General San Martín The Order of the Liberator General San Martín () is the highest decoration in Argentina. It is awarded to foreign politicians or military, deemed worthy of the highest recognition from Argentina. It is granted by the sitting President of Argenti ...

(8 October 2013) * : ** Ribbon jose marti

Order of José Marti (26 May 2022) * : ** JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 1Class BAR

Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

(23 August 2024) * : ** TWN Order of Brilliant Star 1Class BAR

Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon (9 September 2003)

Publications

Books *''Diary of a Prime Minister: Ten days among Benedictine Monks'' *''The Making of 'the Comrade': The Political Journey of Ralph Gonsalves'' *''The spectre of

imperialism Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...

: the case of the

'' (

; 128 pages, 1976) *''The non-

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

path of development:

and the Caribbean'' (One Caribbean Publishers; 1981) *''History and the future: a Caribbean perspective'' (169 pages, 1994) *''Notes on some basic ideas in Marxism-Leninism'' (University of the West Indies; 56 pages) Theses *''The role of labour in the political process of St. Vincent (1935–1970)'' (Master's Thesis, 1971) *''The politics of trade unions and industrial relations in Uganda (1950–1971)'' (Doctoral Thesis, 1974) Pamphlets *''The Rodney affair and its aftermath ''(University of the West Indies; 21 pages, 1975) *''The development and class character of the

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

state: the case of St. Vincent'' (University of the West Indies; 15 pages, 1976) *''Controls and influences on the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

and statutory bodies in the

Caribbean: a preliminary discussion'' (University of the West Indies; 67 pages, 1977) *''The development of the

labour movement The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

in St. Vincent'' (37 pages, 1977) *''Who killed

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

in St. Vincent?'' (United Liberation Movement; 21 pages, 1977) *''On the

political economy Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

'' (One Caribbean Publishers; 49 pages, 1981) *''The

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

movement in St. Vincent and the Grenadines ''(

; 64 pages, 1983) *'' Ebenezer Joshua: his

ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or values attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely about belief in certain knowledge, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones". Form ...

and style ''(Movement for National Unity; 39 pages, 1984) *(editor) ''The trial of George McIntosh'' (Caribbean Diaspora Press; 80 pages, 1985) *''Authority in the

police force The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the safety, health, and possessions of citizen ...

: its uses and abuses'' (Movement for National Unity; 45 pages, 1986) *''

Banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

in trouble: its present and future'' (Movement for National Unity; 22 pages, 1989)

References