Gonsalves announces cabinet re-shuffle

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

Gonsalves said that former minister of public service, Frederick Stephenson has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Keisal Peters, who created history when she became the country’s first female Minister of Foreign Affairs in August 2022.

Gonsalves said that Peters will take over the “heart and soul of the government” as Minister of National Mobilisation and Social Development and that prior to the impact of Hurricane Beryl on July 1, he was contemplating splitting the ministries of housing and national mobilisation.

He said that there was still some work to be done dealing with housing after the volcanic eruptions in April 2021, reiterating that his government had said that it wanted to split the Ministry of National Mobilization and Social Development and the Ministry of Housing.

“Dr. [Orando] Brewster will remain in the Ministry of Housing and Informal Human Settlements,” Gonsalves said, adding that the first-term Central Leeward parliamentarian will also be assigned the sports portfolio, which had also been held by Stephenson.

“Senator Keisal Melissa Peters, will go into renewed energy and focus at the heart and soul of the government in National Mobilisation and Social Development and all the various sub-subjects in that particular portfolio in that particular ministry, plus of course, postal services from the Ministry of Minister Stephenson.

“There are a lot of social safety net issues to be addressed because the faces of men and women are strained and anxious and people are suffering because of this terrible disaster,” Gonsalves said, referring to the July 1 category 4 storm that devastated the Southern Grenadines, damaging or destroying 95 per cent of buildings.

“So she has her work cut out and we have to split those ministries so that we will give focus and we’ve put in supporting administrative arrangements,” Gonsalves said, adding that  Stephenson will take up the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, including the Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit.

The prime minister said he would take up the Public Service portfolio, which Stephenson held previously.

Gonsalves said that the cabinet re-shuffle will be published in the official gazette.

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