KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuesday November 22, 2016 –Declaring intentions to keep the Vincent and the Grenadines government on its toes, veteran politician Dr Godwin Friday was appointed as the country’s new Opposition Leader after securing the support of his colleagues in the New Democratic Party (NDP).
Friday, the NDP’s Vice President and the four-time Member of Parliament for the Northern Grenadines will fill the shoes of his long-time boss Arnhim Eustace who resigned after 16 years at the helm of the party.
He officially took over yesterday.
Friday is scheduled to speak tomorrow on the parliamentary agenda going forward, which he said would be focused on increasingly robust actions to hold the current administration accountable and deliver change for the country.
“I believe that I can deliver a better standard of living for the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines and they would just have to watch me,” he said after being elected to succeed Eustace.
The trained political scientist immediately signaled the Opposition was ready to continue to defend the interests of Vincentians in Parliament, serving notice that the upcoming Estimates and National Budget would be a top priority.
But even as he takes up office, Friday will face his first major challenge as early as next Sunday when the party holds its convention to elect a new President.
While admitting that he has some big shoes to fill with Eustace’s departure, Francis said he will be entering the race and he is confident he can win the majority support of the party a second time.
“We will have an open and democratic process for the selection of the president of the party and I hope to prevail. I believe I will prevail there,” he said.