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Goodwin Friday is set to become the new prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines as his New Democratic Party (NDP) has brought political titan Ralph Gonsalves' decades-long reign as the country's leader to an end.

The NDP – the outgoing opposition – won the country's general election on November 27, defeating Gonsalves' Unity Labour Party and thwarting his bid for an unprecedented sixth consecutive term. Preliminary results showed the NDP secured 11 of the 15 parliamentary seats.

Both parties fielded 15 candidates each, with two independent female candidates also participating in the election. Friday, 66, who holds a doctorate in political science, has been an MP for 23 years, representing North Grenadines.