Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has announced there will be no change in the leadership of the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP), setting the path for him to run for a sixth term in office at the age of 79 in 2025.
Following months of infighting within the ULP about who would be nominated the Deputy Leader of the party – and therefore Gonsalves’ successor – it emerged over the weekend that there is no plan to transfer power of ahead of the next election.
Gonsalves would rather die in power and oversee the destruction of the ULP than let anybody take over.
Despite claiming in 2013, there was a stable of young and tested candidates to succeed him, Gonsalves clutching onto power raises questions over what he is trying to hide from the public and a potential successor? Is there something Gonsalves does not want Saboto Caesar to uncover in office, if he were to take over?
It has been suggested that the only reason Gonsalves is clinging onto power is that the ULP infighting has shown Camillo, who has been groomed for the position over the past decade, is not yet in a position to win over the party or the country.
Caesar has proven himself as the clear favourite amongst party members to take over the party, but Gonsalves is strong arming his way through what should be a democratic process to ensure the ULP remains in the family.