Godwin Friday

Godwin Elliot Loraine Friday^[3] (born 28 September 1959^{[citation needed]}) is a Vincentian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 2025 and as leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) since 2016. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Northern Grenadines constituency since 2001 and served as the leader of the opposition from 2016 to 2025.

The Honourable Godwin Friday MP
Friday in 2019
5th Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 November 2025
Monarch	Charles III
Governor-General	Susan Dougan
Preceded by	Ralph Gonsalves
Leader of the New Democratic Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 November 2016[1]
Preceded by	Arnhim Eustace
Leader of the Opposition of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
In office 21 November 2016[2] – 28 November 2025
Monarchs	Elizabeth II Charles III
Governors-General	Frederick Ballantyne Susan Dougan
Preceded by	Arnhim Eustace
Succeeded by	Ralph Gonsalves
Member of Parliament for the Northern Grenadines
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 March 2001
Personal details
Born	(1959-09-28) 28 September 1959 (age 66)[citation needed] Bequia, British Windward Islands (present day Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)[citation needed]
Party	New Democratic Party
Alma mater	University of Waterloo (BA, MA) Queen's University (LLB, PhD)
Website	http://ndpsvg.com

In the 2001 general election, Friday was elected to the House of Assembly for the first time. He retained his seat in the 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2025 elections.^[4] In the 2025 general election, Friday's NDP defeated Ralph Gonsalves' long-governing Unity Labour Party, forming a supermajority government and becoming prime minister.

Early life and education

He was born on 28 September 1959 in Bequia,^{[citation needed]} the second-largest island in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the largest island of the Grenadines. Friday earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of Laws from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada.^[5] He graduated with a master's degree in history from the University of Waterloo in 1985.^[6] In 1989, he graduated with a doctorate in political studies from Queen's University.^[7]

Political career

In 2016, Arnhim Eustace, the party leader and opposition leader of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, resigned, which left Friday with the position as party leader and leader of the opposition.^[8][5][9] He led the party into the 2020 general election, winning the popular vote but losing 1 seat. At the 2025 general election, the NDP won 14 of 15 seats in the House of Assembly, forming government for the first time since 1998.^[10]

Publications

• Islands in the Stream: The development of a machinery for the conduct of external affairs in the Bahamas and Bahamian foreign policy, 1973–1985 (MA Thesis, 1985)^[6]
• The Caribbean Basin Initiative and industrial development in Trinidad and Tobago (1989)^[11]
• A Political Economy of 'State Capitalism' in Trinidad and Tobago: social struggles and the development process (PhD Thesis, 1989)^[7]