St. Vincent prime minister announces cabinet reshuffle

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has announced the first reshuffle of his cabinet since his Unity Labour Party (ULP) won a historic fifth consecutive term in office in November 2020.

Gonsalves revealed that former Minister of Public Service, Frederick Stephenson, has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Keisal Peters, who made history as the country’s first female Minister of Foreign Affairs in August 2022.

Peters will now assume the role of Minister of National Mobilisation and Social Development, which Gonsalves described as the “heart and soul of the government.”

Before the impact of Hurricane Beryl on July 1, Gonsalves had considered splitting the ministries of housing and national mobilization due to ongoing housing issues following the volcanic eruptions in April 2021.

“Dr. [Orando] Brewster will remain in the Ministry of Housing and Informal Human Settlements,” Gonsalves said. Brewster, a first-term Central Leeward parliamentarian, will also take on the sports portfolio previously held by Stephenson.

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“Senator Keisal Melissa Peters will focus her renewed energy on the heart and soul of the government in National Mobilisation and Social Development, including all related sub-issues within that portfolio, as well as postal services,” Gonsalves stated.

“There are many social safety net issues to be addressed because people are suffering from this terrible disaster,” Gonsalves said, referring to the July 1 Category 4 storm that devastated the Southern Grenadines, damaging or destroying 95 percent of buildings.

“So she has her work cut out, and we have decided to split those ministries to ensure focused attention and have put in place supporting administrative arrangements,” Gonsalves added. Stephenson will now lead the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, including the Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit.

The prime minister also announced that he will take on the Public Service portfolio previously held by Stephenson.

Gonsalves stated that the cabinet reshuffle will be published in the official gazette.

Read: St. Vincent and the Grenadines PM announces relief measures after Hurricane Beryl