Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has sent a letter of congratulations to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines on his fifth consecutive election victory on Thursday, the Barbados Nation said yesterday.
Gonsalves, leader of the Unity Labour Party (ULP), whose string of victories at the polls is unprecedented in the region, steered his party through a short campaign that culminated with the ULP taking nine of the 15 seats contested.
In her letter to the Dr Gonsalves, Prime Minister Mottley said:
“Let me be among the first to congratulate you, on behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, on your resounding victory at the polls.
“This victory of your Unity Labour Party (ULP) and your fifth consecutive term as Prime Minister is testimony of the confidence and high esteem, which the Vincentian people place in you.
“I am confident that Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines will continue to build on our strong fraternal and friendly relations and our shared vision for regional integration. I look forward to continuing to working with you as we push for the recognition of the inherent vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and a new order that would redound to the benefit of our region.
“Your position as current Chairman of both the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the United Nations Security Council exemplifies the tradition of leadership at the highest level for which the Caribbean has distinguished itself and places on you the weight of advocating on behalf of our region and SIDS”.
The Commission of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has also extended congratulations to Gonsalves and his Unity Labour Party.
In a statement yesterday, the OECS said that the election of the Gonsalves administration by the people to an unprecedented fifth term is a clear indication of the people’s confidence in the strategic vision and the programmatic record of their Government.
The Commission also recorded its “deep respect for the civility and integrity of the electoral process and the conduct of all political forces in this democratic undertaking”.