Vincentian general election, 1979

Vincentian general election, 1979

← 1974 5 December 1979 1984 →
13 seats in the House of Assembly 7 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	63.9% ( 0.7%)
First party Second party   Leader Milton Cato James Mitchell Party SVLP NDP Leader's seat West St. George Grenadines Last election 69.0%, 10 seats – Seats won 11 2 Seat change 1 New Popular vote 17,876 9,022 Percentage 54.2% 27.4% Swing 14.8% New
Map of the constituencies of St. Vincent and the Grenadines showing the results of the general election
Prime Minister before election Office created Elected Prime Minister Milton Cato SVLP

Office created

Milton Cato
SVLP

General elections were held in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 5 December 1979. The result was a victory for the Saint Vincent Labour Party (SVLP), which won eleven of the thirteen seats. Voter turnout was 63.9%.

Fifty candidates contested the 13 seats from four parties. The SVLP led by Milton Cato, Prime Minister since 1974; the People's Political Party (PPP), the SVLP's traditional rival, headed by Ebenezer Joshua; the New Democratic Party, led by James Fitz-Allen Mitchell; and the United People's Movement of Ralph Gonsalves, which contested elections for the first time. All four groups presented a similar manifesto but ideologically the United People's Movement was oriented to the left much as the political groups which had recently come to power in Grenada and Saint Lucia. The SVLP (considered a moderate socialist party), the centrist New Democratic Party and the People's Political Party were oriented to the right.

On polling day, the SVLP obtained a clear victory as it captured 11 of the 13 seats. The other two seats went to New Democratic Party candidates although the NDP leader, James Mitchell, was himself defeated. Voter turnout was 63.9%, up only slightly from 63.2% in 1974.

Seats, of total, by party

Votes, of total, by party