106-571: Ralph Everard Gonsalves (born 8 August 1946) 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). Gonsalves is the longest continuously serving head of government since St. Vincent and the Grenadines became independent in 1979. He became prime minister after his party won a majority government in
212-478: A meeting in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines between Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali 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 . Gonsalves practices law before
318-517: A parlement is referred to as Madame la Présidente de Tourvel ("Madam President of Tourvel"). The fictional name Tourvel refers not to the parlement in which the magistrate sits, but rather, in imitation of an aristocratic title, to his private estate. This influenced parliamentary usage in France. When the Second French Republic was established in 1848, "Monsieur le Président" became the title of
424-505: A person holding the title of president or presiding over certain other governmental bodies. "Mr. President" has subsequently been used by governments to refer to their heads of state. It is the conventional translation of non- English titles such as Monsieur le Président for the president of the French Republic . It also has a long history of usage as the title of the presiding officers of legislative and judicial bodies. The speaker of
530-417: A prestigious residence, often a lavish mansion or palace, sometimes more than one (e.g. summer and winter residences, or a country retreat) Customary symbols of office may include an official uniform, decorations, a presidential seal, coat of arms, flag and other visible accessories, as well as military honours such as gun salutes , ruffles and flourishes , and a presidential guard. A common presidential symbol
636-554: A proposition suggested by the president of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov and later made law by the Parliament of Russia and President Dmitriy Medvedev in 2010. Despite this, however, presidents of Tatarstan resisted the move, before 2023, where it was switched to the Head or Rais , the latter of which could be translated from Tatar as "President" . The lord president of the Council is one of
742-533: A representative of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, then (James Mitchell, who was subsequently knighted) signed the Double Taxation Relief (CARICOM) Treaties. There were seven other signatories to the agreement on that day. The countries which were represented were Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. An eighth country signed
848-591: Is Barbados , and Grenada lies to the south. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a population density of over 300 inhabitants/km (700 per sq mi), with an estimated population of 110,872. Kingstown is the capital and main port. Saint Vincent has a British colonial history, and is now part of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , CARICOM , the Commonwealth of Nations , the Bolivarian Alliance for
954-564: Is La Soufrière volcano at 1,234 m (4,049 ft). Other major mountains on St Vincent are (from north to south) Richmond Peak, Mount Brisbane , Colonarie Mountain, Grand Bonhomme , Petit Bonhomme and Mount St Andrew. The country is home to two terrestrial ecoregions : Windward Islands moist forests and the Lesser Antillean dry forests . It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.95/10, ranking it 61st globally out of 172 countries. Most of Saint Vincent and
1060-507: Is Ralph Gonsalves , elected in 2001 as head of the Unity Labour Party . The legislative branch of government is the unicameral House of Assembly of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , seating 15 elected members representing single-member constituencies and six appointed members known as Senators. The parliamentary term of office is five years, although the Prime Minister may call elections at any time. The judicial branch of government
1166-509: Is a common title for the head of state in most republics . Depending on the country, a president could be head of government , a ceremonial figurehead, or something between these two extremes. The functions exercised by a president vary according to the form of government . In parliamentary republics , they are usually, but not always, limited to those of the head of state and are thus largely ceremonial. In presidential and selected parliamentary (e.g. Botswana and South Africa ) republics
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#17328560160751272-478: Is a title assumed by some dictators to try to ensure their authority or legitimacy is never questioned. Presidents like Alexandre Pétion , Rafael Carrera , Josip Broz Tito and François Duvalier died in office. Kim Il Sung was named Eternal President of the Republic after his death. Only a tiny minority of modern republics do not have a single head of state. Some examples of this are: The president of China
1378-454: Is allowed to serve only one term. In Brazil , the president is directly elected for a four-year term by popular vote. A candidate has to have more than 50% of the valid votes. If no candidates achieve a majority of the votes, there is a runoff election between the two candidates with most votes. Again, a candidate needs a majority of the vote to be elected. In Brazil, a president cannot be elected to more than two consecutive terms, but there
1484-621: 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. Its 369 km (142 sq mi) territory consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and, south of that, two-thirds of
1590-506: Is as the title of a head of state in a republic . The first usage of the word president to denote the highest official in a government was during the Commonwealth of England . Thomas Hungerford , who became the first speaker of the English House of Commons in 1376, used the title, "Mr. Speaker", a precedent followed by subsequent speakers of the House of Commons. After the abolition of
1696-473: Is borrowed from British Parliamentary tradition, in which the presiding Speaker of the House of Commons is referred to as "Mr/Mrs. Speaker". Coincidentally, this usage resembles the older French custom of referring to the president of a parlement as " Monsieur/Madame le Président ", a form of address that in modern France applies to both the president of the Republic and to chief judges. In the United States,
1802-409: Is currently serving as Minister of Finance . On August 5, 2021, at a protest against mandatory vaccination from COVID-19 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. The attack occurred during a large protest against masks and vaccinations in
1908-702: Is divided into district courts, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in London being the court of last resort. The two political parties with parliamentary representation are the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Unity Labour Party (ULP). The parliamentary opposition is made up of the largest minority stakeholder in the general elections, headed by
2014-681: Is known in Europe as a President of the Council (from the French Président du Conseil ), used 1871–1940 and 1944–1958 in the Third and Fourth French Republics . In the United States the president has always been both Head of State and Head of Government and has always had the title of President. Presidents in this system are either directly elected by popular vote or indirectly elected by an electoral college or some other democratically elected body. In
2120-540: Is no limit on the number of terms a president can serve. Many South American , Central American , African and some Asian nations follow the presidential model. A second system is the semi-presidential system , also known as the French model. In this system, as in the parliamentary system, there are both a president and a prime minister; but unlike the parliamentary system, the president may have significant day-to-day power. For example, in France, when their party controls
2226-553: Is not considered to be head of state. Since 1998, however, presidential officeholders in Laos often occupy their position as General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party concurrently, and thus exercise political power via that role. In accordance with the current Laotian Constitution (rev. in 2015) , the president may not serve more than 2 consecutive terms, and elections are to take place every 5 years. The President of Laos
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#17328560160752332-513: Is the commander-in-chief of the Lao People's Armed Forces . They also possess the authority (with the consent of the national assembly) to appoint the prime minister and vice president , as well as other roles. The current President of Laos, elected in March 2021, is Thongloun Sisoulith . As the country's head of state, in most countries the president is entitled to certain perquisites, and may have
2438-650: Is the head of state of the People's Republic of China . Under the country's constitution , the presidency is a largely ceremonial office with limited power. However, since 1993, as a matter of convention, the presidency has been held simultaneously by the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party , the top leader in the single-party system . Between 1982 and 2019, the Chinese constitution stipulated that
2544-476: Is the presidential sash worn most often by presidents in Latin America and Africa as a symbol of the continuity of the office. United Nations member countries in columns, other entities at the beginning: Some countries with parliamentary systems use a term meaning/translating as "president" (in some languages indistinguishable from chairman) for the head of parliamentary government, often as President of
2650-772: Is the case in many states: Idi Amin in Uganda , Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire , Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines , Suharto in Indonesia , and Saddam Hussein in Iraq are some examples. Other presidents in authoritarian states have wielded only symbolic or no power such as Craveiro Lopes in Portugal and Joaquín Balaguer under the "Trujillo Era" of the Dominican Republic . President for Life
2756-649: 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 . Gonsalves has been Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of North Central Windward since 1994. In 1994, upon the formation of the Unity Labour Party he became deputy leader, and became leader of
2862-693: The ASSRs , used to enjoy more privileges than the ordinary krais and oblasts of the RSFSR (such as greater representation in the Soviet of Nationalities ). Thus, the ASSRs and their eventual successors would have more in common with nation-states than with ordinary administrative divisions, at least in spirit, and would choose titles accordingly. Over the course of the 2010s the presidents of Russian republics would progressively change their title to that of Head ( Russian : глава ),
2968-517: The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court . He has written and published on a range of matters including the Caribbean , Africa , trade unionism , comparative political economy, and developmental issues generally. 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
3074-625: The Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom who presides over meetings of British Privy Council ; the Cabinet headed by the prime minister is technically a committee of the Council, and all decisions of the Cabinet are formally approved through Orders in Council . Although the lord president is a member of the Cabinet, the position is largely a ceremonial one and is traditionally given to either
3180-514: The King 's nominees. The Parlements were abolished by the French Revolution . In modern France the chief judge of a court is known as its president ( président de la cour ). By the 18th century, the president of a French parlement was addressed as "Monsieur le Président". In Pierre Choderlos de Laclos 's 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses ("Dangerous Liaisons"), the wife of a magistrate in
3286-516: The La Soufrière volcano erupted, sending ash several miles into the atmosphere. Approximately 16,000 people were evacuated in the days leading up to the eruption. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lies to the west of Barbados , south of Saint Lucia and north of Grenada in the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles , an island arc of the Caribbean Sea . The islands of Saint Vincent and
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3392-792: The Leader of the Opposition . The current opposition leader is Godwin Friday . Saint Vincent has no formal armed forces, although the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force includes a Special Service Unit as well as a militia that has a supporting role on the island. In 2017, Saint Vincent signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons . Administratively, Saint Vincent and
3498-474: The Massachusetts Provincial Congress ), but these were presiding officers in the older sense, with no executive authority. It has been suggested that the executive use of the term was borrowed from early American colleges and universities, which were usually headed by a president . British universities were headed by an official called the " Chancellor " (typically a ceremonial position) while
3604-753: The US , and cooperates with regional political and economic organisations such as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and CARICOM . The island nation's sixth embassy overseas was opened on 8 August 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan, after Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves' official visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan) ; the other five are located in London (a High Commission as Commonwealth countries have high commissions rather than embassies in each other's countries), Washington D.C., Havana, Caracas and Brussels. On 6 July 1994 at Sherbourne Conference Centre, St Michael, Barbados, as
3710-473: The United States , the president is indirectly elected by the Electoral College made up of electors chosen by voters in the presidential election. In most states of the United States, each elector is committed to voting for a specified candidate determined by the popular vote in each state, so that the people, in voting for each elector, are in effect voting for the candidate. However, for various reasons
3816-626: The University of the West Indies , where he completed a bachelor's degree in economics . He later returned there to earn a master's degree in government , which he completed in 1971. In 1974, he completed a doctorate in government at the University of Manchester . Gonsalves was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in London in 1981. He also attended Makerere University in Uganda according to his address at
3922-528: The West Indies Federation and was driven by a desire to gain independence from the British government. However, the attempt collapsed in 1962. Saint Vincent was granted "associate statehood" status by Britain on 27 October 1969. This gave Saint Vincent complete control over its internal affairs but fell short of full independence in law. In April 1979, La Soufrière erupted once more. Although no one
4028-438: The parliamentary republic is a system with an executive president in which the president is the head of state and the government but unlike a presidential system , is elected by and accountable to a parliament, and referred to as president. Countries using this system include Botswana , Nauru and South Africa . In dictatorships , the title of president is frequently taken by self-appointed or military-backed leaders. Such
4134-675: The president of Austria ) or de jure no significant executive power (such as the president of Ireland ), and the executive powers rests with the prime minister who automatically assumes the post as head of a majority party or coalition, but takes oath of office administered by the president. However, the president is head of the civil service, commander in chief of the armed forces and in some cases can dissolve parliament. Countries using this system include Austria , Armenia , Albania , Bangladesh , Czech Republic , Germany , Greece , Hungary , Iceland , India , Ireland , Israel , Italy , Malta , Pakistan , and Singapore . A variation of
4240-571: The "great danger" of an executive with insufficient dignity. Adams' efforts were met with widespread derision; Thomas Jefferson called them "the most superlatively ridiculous thing I ever heard of", while Benjamin Franklin considered it "absolutely mad". Washington consented to the demands of James Madison and the United States House of Representatives that the title be altered to "Mr. President". Nonetheless, later "The Honorable" became
4346-687: The Americas , and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). In April 2021, the La Soufrière volcano erupted several times with "explosive events" continuing for two weeks. By 12 April, 16,000 residents had evacuated the area. Assistance and emergency financial support was being provided by several nearby islands, the United Kingdom , and agencies such as the United Nations . The first significant offer of long-term funding, of US$ 20 million,
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4452-460: The Atlantic slave trade. Gonsalves won a second term in 2005, a third in 2010, and a fourth in 2015. In 2009, a referendum was held on a proposal to adopt a new constitution that would make the country a republic , replacing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state with a non-executive President, a proposal supported by Prime Minister Gonsalves. A two-thirds majority was required, but the referendum
4558-614: The British laid the foundations of Fort Charlotte and also continued the importation of slaves to work on the island's plantations. The Garifuna , an Afro-Indigenous creole people on the island, were opposed to the British presence and entered into open conflict against the British, starting the First Carib War , which lasted from 1772 to 1773. During the Anglo-French War (1778–1783) , the French recaptured St Vincent in 1779. However,
4664-567: The British regained control under the Treaty of Versailles (1783) . The uneasy peace between the British and the Garifuna led to the Second Carib War , which lasted from 1795 to 1797. The Garifuna were led by paramount chief Joseph Chatoyer and supported by the French, notably Victor Hugues who was based on the island of Martinique . They were eventually defeated in 1797 by British forces under
4770-530: The Constitution". Vice President John Adams , in his role as President of the United States Senate , organized a congressional committee . There Adams agitated for the adoption of the style of Highness (as well as the title of Protector of Their [the United States'] Liberties ) for the president. Adams and Lee were among the most outspoken proponents of an exalted presidential title. Others favored
4876-417: The Criminal Code states: Any person, who in public or private, commits an act of gross indecency with another person of the same sex, or procures or attempts to procure another person of the same sex to commit an act of gross indecency with him or her, is guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for five years. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines maintains close ties to Canada , the United Kingdom and
4982-409: The French model. In Finland, although the 2000 constitution moved towards a ceremonial presidency, the system is still formally semi-presidential, with the president of Finland retaining e.g. foreign policy and appointment powers. The parliamentary republic , is a parliamentary system in which the presidency is largely ceremonial with either de facto or no significant executive authority (such as
5088-418: The Government, President of the Council of Ministers or President of the Executive Council . However, such an official is explicitly not the president of the country . These officials are called "president" using an older sense of the word, to denote the fact that the official heads the cabinet . A separate head of state generally exists in their country who instead serves as the president or monarch of
5194-429: The Grenadines 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 at Westminster Abbey along with governor-general Susan Dougan on 6 May 2023. Gonsalves met with the King and other leaders of the Commonwealth the day prior. Gonsalves supports capital punishment . Gonsalves helped to organize
5300-399: The Grenadines include the main island of Saint Vincent 344 km (133 sq mi) and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines 45 km (17 sq mi), which are a chain of smaller islands stretching south from Saint Vincent to Grenada. There are 32 islands and cays that make up St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Nine are inhabited, including the mainland St Vincent and
5406-412: The Grenadines is divided into six parishes . Five parishes are on Saint Vincent, while the sixth is made up of the Grenadine islands. Kingstown is located in the Parish of Saint George and is the capital city and central administrative centre of the country. "Acts of gross indecency", which may be defined to include homosexual activity , are illegal in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Section 148 of
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#17328560160755512-558: The Grenadines islands: Young Island, Bequia , Mustique , Canouan , Union Island , Mayreau , Petit St Vincent and Palm Island. Prominent uninhabited islands of the Grenadines include Petit Nevis , used by whalers , and Petit Mustique , which was the centre of a prominent real-estate scam in the early 2000s. The capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is Kingstown , Saint Vincent. The main island of Saint Vincent measures 26 km (16 mi) long, 15 km (9.3 mi) in width and 344 km (133 sq mi) in area. From
5618-410: The Grenadines lies within the Main Development Region for Atlantic tropical cyclones . Recently, in 2023, the islands were directly impacted by Tropical Storm Bret . Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy , with Charles III as King of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines . He does not reside in the islands and is represented as head of state in
5724-403: The Grenadines, Britain made several attempts to unify the island with the other Windward Islands as a single entity, to simplify British control in the sub-region through a single unified administration. In the 1960s, the British again tried to unify all of its regional islands, including Saint Vincent, into a single politically unified entity under British control. The unification was to be called
5830-483: The House of Commons of Canada is addressed as président de la Chambre des communes in French and as Mr. Speaker in English. The title president is derived from the Latin prae- "before" + sedere "to sit". The word "presidents" is also used in the King James Bible at Daniel 6:2 to translate the Aramaic term סָרְכִ֣ין (sā·rə·ḵîn) , a word of likely Persian origin, meaning "officials", "commissioners", "overseers" or "chiefs". As such, it originally designated
5936-418: The United Nations during the Africa Day event on 25 May 2019. 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 by the Jamaican government. In 1994, Gonsalves became the deputy leader of the Unity Labour Party . After
6042-405: The United States did not specify the manner of address for the president. When George Washington was sworn in as the first president of the United States on April 30, 1789, however, the administering of the oath of office ended with the proclamation: "Long live George Washington, President of the United States ." No title other than the name of the office of the executive was officially used at
6148-463: The United States of America, the correct way to address a letter is to use "The Honorable John Doe" and the correct salutation is "Mr. Doe". Once the United States adopted the title of "president" for its republican head of state, many other nations followed suit. Haiti became the first presidential republic in the Caribbean when Henri Christophe assumed the title in 1807. Almost all the Pan-American nations that became independent from Spain in
6254-428: The agreement on 19 August 2016, Guyana. This treaty covered taxes, residence, tax jurisdictions, capital gains, business profits, interest, dividends, royalties and other areas. On 30 June 2014, St. Vincent and the Grenadines signed a Model 1 agreement with the United States of America with respect to Foreign Account Tax Compliance (Act) or FATCA. According to the updated site as of 16 January 2017, on 13 May 2016
6360-578: The agreement went to "In Force" status. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a member of the United Nations , the Commonwealth of Nations , the Organization of American States , and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). In September 2017, at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly , the Prime Ministers of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines called for UN action on alleged human rights abuses committed by Indonesia on Western New Guinea 's indigenous Papuans . President (government title) President
6466-410: The centre-left Saint Vincent Labour Party (SVLP) was the country's first Prime Minister (he had been Premier since 1974), ruling until his defeat in the 1984 Vincentian general election by James Fitz-Allen Mitchell of the centre-right New Democratic Party (NDP). During Cato's time in office, there was a brief rebellion on Union Island in December 1979 led by Lennox 'Bumba' Charles . Inspired by
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#17328560160756572-401: The chief administrator held the title of " Vice-Chancellor ". But America's first institutions of higher learning (such as Harvard University and Yale University ) did not resemble a full-sized university so much as one of its constituent colleges. A number of colleges at Cambridge University featured an official called the "president". The head, for instance, of Magdalene College, Cambridge
6678-590: The command Sir Ralph Abercromby ; a peace treaty agreement was made which resulted in almost 5,000 Garifuna being deported to Roatán , an island off the coast of Honduras , and to Belize and Baliceaux in the Grenadines. In 1806, the construction of Fort Charlotte was completed. The La Soufrière volcano erupted in 1812, resulting in considerable destruction. The British abolished slavery in Saint Vincent (as well as in all other British West Indies colonies) in 1834, and an apprenticeship period followed which ended in 1838. After its end, labour shortages on
6784-411: The country by the Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , currently Susan Dougan (since 1 August 2019). The office of Governor-General has mostly ceremonial functions including the opening of the islands' House of Assembly and the appointment of various government officials. Control of the government rests with the elected Prime Minister and their cabinet. The current Prime Minister
6890-402: The country. Thus, such officials are really premiers , and to avoid confusion are often described simply as 'prime minister' when being mentioned internationally. There are several examples for this kind of presidency: President can also be the title of the chief executive at a lower administrative level, such as the parish presidents of the parishes of the U.S. state of Louisiana ,
6996-436: The country. Gonsalves was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed to be in a stable condition. Books Theses Pamphlets Served as Chief Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Served as Premier of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Contemporaries Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ( / ˌ ɡ r ɛ n ə ˈ d iː n z / GREH -nə- DEENZ )
7102-404: The early 1810s and 1820s chose a US-style president as their chief executive. The first European president was the president of the Italian Republic of 1802 , a client state of revolutionary France, in the person of Napoleon Bonaparte . The first African president was the president of Liberia (1848), while the first Asian president was the president of the Republic of China (1912). In
7208-521: The equivalent of the mayor . The Office of the President (Mayor) is also found in Germany and Switzerland. Governors of ethnic republics in the Russian Federation used to have the title of President, occasionally alongside other, secondary titles such as Chairman of the Government (also used by Prime Minister of Russia ). This likely reflects the origin of Russian republics as homelands for various ethnic groups: while all federal subjects of Russia are currently de jure equal , their predecessors,
7314-491: The gown"), with considerable judicial as well as administrative authority. The name referred to his primary role of presiding over trials and other hearings. In the 17th and 18th centuries, seats in the Parlements , including presidencies, became effectively hereditary, since the holder of the office could ensure that it would pass to an heir by paying the crown a special tax known as the paulette . The post of "first president" ( premier président ), however, could be held by only
7420-401: The inauguration. The question of a presidential title was being debated in Congress at the time, however, having become official legislative business with Richard Henry Lee 's motion of April 23, 1789. Lee's motion asked Congress to consider "what titles it will be proper to annex to the offices of President and Vice President of the United States – if any other than those given in
7526-412: The island, settling in the town of Barrouallie on the leeward side of St Vincent in 1719. The French imported Black slaves to work on plantations producing sugar, coffee, indigo, tobacco, cotton and cocoa. The British captured the island and drove out the French from Barrouallie during the Seven Years' War , a claim confirmed by the Treaty of Paris (1763) . On taking control of the island in 1763,
7632-518: The majority of seats in the National Assembly , the president can operate closely with the parliament and prime minister , and work towards a common agenda. When the National Assembly is controlled by their opponents, however, the president can find themselves marginalized with the opposition party prime minister exercising most of the power. Though the prime minister remains an appointee of
7738-531: The monarchy the English Council of State , whose members were elected by the House of Commons, became the executive government of the Commonwealth. The Council of State was the successor of the Privy Council , which had previously been headed by the lord president ; its successor the Council of State was also headed by a lord president, the first of which was John Bradshaw . However, the lord president alone
7844-598: 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 Minister of Finance to his son, Camillo Gonsalves . On 3 July 2020, Gonsalves was elected Chairman of the Caribbean Community succeeding Mia Amor Mottley . His 6-month term ended on 1 January 2021, and he was succeeded by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Keith Rowley . In November 2020, Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and
7950-481: The most northern to the most southern points, the Grenadine islands belonging to Saint Vincent span 60.4 km (37.5 mi), with a combined area of 45 km (17 sq mi). The island of Saint Vincent is volcanic and heavily forested and includes little level ground. The windward side of the island is very rocky and steep, while the leeward side has more sandy beaches and bays. Saint Vincent's highest peak
8056-453: The northern part of the Grenadines , a chain of 32 smaller islands. Some of the Grenadines are inhabited— Bequia , Mustique , Union Island , Canouan , Petit Saint Vincent , Palm Island , Mayreau , Young Island —while others are not: Tobago Cays , Baliceaux , Battowia , Quatre , Petite Mustique , Savan and Petit Nevis . To the north of Saint Vincent lies Saint Lucia , to the east
8162-457: The numbers of electors in favour of each candidate are unlikely to be proportional to the popular vote. Thus, in five close United States elections ( 1824 , 1876 , 1888 , 2000 , and 2016 ), the candidate with the most popular votes still lost the election. In Mexico , the president is directly elected for a six-year term by popular vote. The candidate who wins the most votes is elected president even without an absolute majority. The president
8268-518: The officer who presides over or "sits before" a gathering and ensures that debate is conducted according to the rules of order ( see also chairman and speaker ), but today it most commonly refers to an executive official in any social organization. Early examples are from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge (from 1464) and the founding president of the Royal Society William Brouncker in 1660. This usage survives today in
8374-558: 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 , but did not win the popular vote. On 7 November 2020, Gonsalves was sworn in for his fifth term as prime minister. Gonsalves is the current longest-serving democratically-elected state leader. Gonsalves, known affectionately as "Comrade Ralph",
8480-450: The plantations resulted, and were initially addressed by the immigration of indentured servants; starting from 1845, many Portuguese Catholic settlers arrived from Madeira , with around 2,100 arrivals from Portugal recorded from 1845 to 1850. Between 1861 and 1888, a new wave of immigration occurred, with shiploads of Indian labourers arrived. In 1902, the La Soufrière volcano erupted again, killing 1,500–2,000 people; much farmland
8586-436: The popular vote. In 2009 Gonsalves and the ULP led a referendum campaign in favour of constitutional reform that would have abolished the country's constitutional monarchy , replacing Elizabeth II with a non-executive president . The referendum was defeated, with 55.64% of voters rejecting the changes. Gonsalves has persisted in his calls for the establishment of a presidency, proposing another referendum in 2022 to replace
8692-547: The president could not serve more than two consecutive terms. During the Mao era , as well as since March 2018, there were no term limits attached to this office. Under President Xi Jinping , the term limits of the presidency were abolished, but its powers and ceremonial role remained unchanged. In Laos , which is a one-party state similar to that of China, the president is elected by the Laotian National Assembly , and
8798-418: The president is also the commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces, though this varies significantly around the world. In almost all states with a presidential system of government, the president exercises the functions of head of state and head of government , i.e. the president directs the executive branch of government. When a president is not only head of state, but also head of government, this
8904-542: The president of the French Republic. The modern usage of the term president to designate a single person who is the head of state of a republic can be traced directly to the United States Constitution of 1787, which created the office of President of the United States . Previous American governments had included "presidents" (such as the president of the Continental Congress or the president of
9010-608: The president, the president must obey the rules of parliament, and select a leader from the house's majority holding party. Thus, sometimes the president and prime minister can be allies, sometimes rivals; the latter situation is known in France as cohabitation . Variants of the French semi-presidential system, developed at the beginning of the Fifth Republic by Charles de Gaulle , are used in France , Portugal , Romania , Sri Lanka and several post-colonial countries which have emulated
9116-415: The presiding member of city council for villages in the U.S. state of Illinois , or the municipal presidents of Mexico 's municipalities . Perhaps the best known sub-national presidents are the borough presidents of the five boroughs of New York City . In Poland, the president of the city ( Polish : Prezydent miasta ) is the executive authority of the municipality elected in direct elections,
9222-644: The recent revolution on Grenada, Charles alleged neglect of the Union by the central government. However, the revolt was swiftly put down and Charles was arrested. There were also a series of strikes in the early 1980s. James Mitchell remained Prime Minister for 16 years until 2000, winning three consecutive elections . Mitchell was at the forefront of attempts to improve regional integration. In 1980 and 1987, hurricanes damaged many banana and coconut plantations. Hurricane seasons were also very active in 1998 and 1999, with Hurricane Lenny in 1999 causing extensive damage to
9328-441: The resignation of Vincent Beache , Gonsalves became leader of the party in 1998. He was appointed leader of the opposition 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 . 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
9434-491: The role of the president is more prominent, encompassing the functions of the head of government . In semi-presidential republics , the president has some discretionary powers like over foreign affairs, appointment of the head of government and defence, but they are not themselves head of government. A leader of a one-party state may also hold the position of president for ceremonial purposes or to maintain an official state position. The title " Mr. President " may apply to
9540-441: The same process by which they are appointed, i.e. in many nations, periodic popular elections. The powers vested in such presidents vary considerably. Some presidencies, such as that of Ireland , are largely ceremonial, whereas other systems vest the president with substantive powers such as the appointment and dismissal of prime ministers or cabinets , the power to declare war , and powers of veto on legislation. In many nations
9646-473: The standard title of the President in formal address, and "His/Her Excellency" became the title of the President when addressed formally internationally. Historically, the title was reserved for the incumbent president only, and was not to be used for former presidents, holding that it was not proper to use the title as a courtesy title when addressing a former president. According to the official website of
9752-407: The style of Excellency . Adams and Richard Henry Lee both feared that cabals of powerful senators would unduly influence a weak executive, and saw an exalted title as a way of strengthening the presidency. On further consideration, Adams deemed even Highness insufficient and instead proposed that the executive, both the president and the vice president (i.e., himself), be styled Majesty to prevent
9858-487: The title "Mr. President" is used in a number of formal instances as well: for example anyone presiding over the United States Senate is addressed as "Mr./Madam President", especially the vice president, who is the president of the Senate . Other uses of the title include presidents of state and local legislatures, however only the president of the United States uses the title outside of formal sessions. The 1787 Constitution of
9964-507: The title of such offices as " President of the Board of Trade " and " Lord President of the Council " in the United Kingdom , as well as "President of the Senate" in the United States (one of the roles constitutionally assigned to the vice president ). The officiating priest at certain Anglican religious services, too, is sometimes called the "president" in this sense. The most common modern usage
10070-399: The twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the powers of presidencies have varied from country to country. The spectrum of power has included presidents-for-life and hereditary presidencies to ceremonial heads of state . Presidents in the countries with a democratic or representative form of government are usually elected for a specified period of time and in some cases may be re-elected by
10176-483: The variant of Electoral Highness or the lesser Excellency , the latter of which was vociferously opposed by Adams, who contended that it was far beneath the presidential dignity, as the executives of the states, some of which were also titled "President" (e.g. the president of Pennsylvania ), at that time often enjoyed the style of Excellency ; Adams said the president "would be leveled with colonial governors or with functionaries from German princedoms" if he were to use
10282-512: The west coast of the island. In 2000, Arnhim Eustace became Prime Minister after taking over the leadership of the NDP following Mitchell's retirement; he was defeated a year later by Ralph Gonsalves of the Unity Labour Party (successor party to the SVLP). Gonsalves—a left-winger known in the country as "Comrade Ralph" —argued that European nations owe Caribbean nations reparations for their role in
10388-507: Was announced on 13 April 2021 by the World Bank . Christopher Columbus , the first European to reach the island, named it after St. Vincent of Saragossa ( San Vicente de Zaragoza ) whose feast day was on the day Columbus first saw it (22 January 1498). The name of the Grenadines refers to the Spanish city of Granada , but to differentiate it from the island of the same name , the diminutive
10494-596: 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 in 1845 as indentured servants from the Portuguese island of Madeira . Gonsalves attended Colonarie Roman Catholic School, and later the St. Vincent Grammar School. He then enrolled at
10600-477: Was called the master and his second the president . The first president of Harvard, Henry Dunster , had been educated at Magdalene. Some have speculated that he borrowed the term out of a sense of humility, considering himself only a temporary place-holder. The presiding official of Yale College , originally a " rector " (after the usage of continental European universities), became "president" in 1745. A common style of address for presidents, "Mr/Mrs. President",
10706-423: Was damaged, and the economy deteriorated. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines passed through various stages of colonial status under the British. A representative assembly was authorised in 1776, Crown Colony government was installed in 1877, a legislative council was created in 1925 with a limited franchise, and universal adult suffrage was granted in 1951. During the period of its control of Saint Vincent and
10812-502: Was defeated 29,019 votes (55.64 per cent) to 22,493 (43.13 per cent). Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council 2020–21. In November 2020, Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 2001, made history by securing the fifth consecutive victory of his Unity Labour Party (ULP) in general election. In 2021, on 9 April,
10918-420: Was killed, thousands were evacuated and extensive agricultural damage occurred. On 27 October 1979, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained full independence; the date is now the country's Independence Day , a public holiday . The country opted to remain within the Commonwealth of Nations , retaining the then-Queen Elizabeth II as Monarch , represented locally by a Governor-General . Milton Cato of
11024-401: Was not head of state, because that office was vested in the council as a whole. The speaker of the House of Commons of Canada , established in 1867, is also addressed as "Monsieur le Président" or "Madame la Présidente" in French. In pre-revolutionary France , the president of a Parlement evolved into a powerful magistrate , a member of the so-called noblesse de robe (" nobility of
11130-468: Was originally named Youloumain by the native Island Caribs who called themselves Kalina. It is thought that Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1498, giving it the name St Vincent. The Kalinago people aggressively opposed European settlement on Saint Vincent. Various attempts by the English and Dutch to claim the island proved unsuccessful, and it was the French who were first able to colonise
11236-630: Was used. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Kalinago natives who inhabited the island of St. Vincent called it Youloumain, in honour of Youlouca, the spirit of the rainbows, who they believed inhabited the island. Before the arrival of Europeans and Africans in the 16th century, various Amerindian groups passed through or settled on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including the Ciboney , Arawak , and Kalinago people. The island now known as Saint Vincent
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