—Case. Two defeated opposition candidates challenge the wins of St Vincent’s Prime Minister Godwin Friday and Foreign Minister Dwight Bramble.
—Rule. Section 26(1)(a) of the 1979 Constitution bars anyone who, by his own act, acknowledges allegiance to “a foreign power or state”.
—Close. Final arguments ended Thursday 12 November in Kingstown, the capital; the judge reserved judgment.
—Timing. No date is set; a defence lawyer expects a ruling early in the new year or later.
A Caribbean court has finished hearing a challenge to the prime minister’s election win. A defence lawyer says the judge is unlikely to rule before the new year.
A court in the Caribbean has finished hearing whether Prime Minister Godwin Friday of St Vincent and the Grenadines may keep his seat while holding Canadian citizenship. Final arguments ended on Thursday 12 November 2026 at the High Court (the main trial court) in Kingstown, the capital, and Justice Gertel Thom reserved her judgment, which means she will take time to write a decision.
Anand Ramlogan, a senior counsel (top-ranking barrister) and former attorney general (chief legal adviser to the government) of Trinidad and Tobago, leads the defence and said on 12 November that the judge will not rule in the current court sitting period and that a decision is likely early in the new year or during next year. Stuart Young, a senior counsel and former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, leads the petitioners.
Who Is Challenging Whom
Augustus Carlos Williams and Luke Browne, both defeated candidates of the Unity Labour Party, the former governing party, filed petitions against the November 2025 general election results. Williams contests the Northern Grenadines seat won by Prime Minister Godwin Friday, and Browne contests the East Kingstown seat won by Foreign Affairs Minister Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble.
Both men, who are defending their seats, hold Canadian citizenship, and both say it does not disqualify them. Friday leads the governing New Democratic Party, which won 14 of the 15 seats, a result he cited this week when he told the petitioners to “take your licks”.
The petitions ask the court to declare Williams and Browne the rightful winners or, failing that, to void the elections of Friday and Bramble. Young told the court that the oath of citizenship was a voluntary act that creates split allegiance.
File photo of a street in central Kingstown, the capital of St Vincent and the Grenadines.What the Constitution Says and What Each Side Argued
Section 25 of the 1979 Constitution says a person may be elected only if he is a Commonwealth citizen (a citizen of Canada, St Vincent or another member of that group of mostly former British territories) aged 21 or over, and it makes that rule subject to section 26. Section 26(1)(a) says no one is qualified who is “by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state”.
Browne told reporters outside the court on 12 November that the two men could have renounced their Canadian citizenship. He added that “Canada is a foreign country”.
Ramlogan answers that the Commonwealth provisions of section 25 protect both men. He called the effort to bar dual citizens from office “archaic”, said both men gave up careers in Canada to live in St Vincent, and warned that excluding diaspora citizens would hurt small Caribbean states.
Election petition. It is a lawsuit asking a court to overturn a vote result. Here it can also ask the court to name a different winner.
Reserved judgment. The judge takes time to write a decision instead of ruling in court. No ruling date has been announced.
Naturalisation. It is the legal process of adopting a new nationality. The petitioners say both ministers acquired Canadian citizenship this way.
Commonwealth. It is a group of mostly former British territories, including Canada and St Vincent. The defence relies on it under section 25.
Why the Seats Matter
The governing party holds 14 of the 15 seats, so the two contested seats could not overturn its majority. If the court voids either election, the petitioners ask it to declare themselves the winners instead.
So the stake is the rule rather than control of government. A broad reading of section 26 would bar dual citizens from office, which Ramlogan argued on 12 November would hold back small Caribbean states that rely on citizens living abroad.
What It Means for You
Friday and Bramble keep their posts while the judge decides, and the defence lawyer does not expect a ruling before the new year. For readers in the United States with family or business ties to the Eastern Caribbean, the ruling will show whether holding a second passport affects who can sit in Parliament there.
Our earlier coverage followed the trial as it neared its end. Oral closing arguments began on Tuesday 10 November.
What Is Not Known
The court has not announced a judgment date, and we found no hearing scheduled after 12 November 2026. Whether either side would appeal is not stated.
Draft amendments published in April 2026 would exclude Commonwealth countries from the phrase “foreign power or state”. Parliament deferred them on 2 July 2026, and we found no sign they have since passed.
For background, read our explainers on St Vincent’s role in the region and its Caribbean context. More coverage is in Latin America news.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is challenging the prime minister’s election win?
Augustus Carlos Williams and Luke Browne, defeated candidates of the Unity Labour Party, filed petitions. They challenge the November 2025 wins of Prime Minister Godwin Friday in the Northern Grenadines and Foreign Minister Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble in East Kingstown.
What does section 26 of the Constitution say?
Section 26(1)(a) disqualifies anyone who, by his own act, is under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state. The petitioners say Canadian citizenship does that, and the defence disagrees.
When will the court rule?
No date has been announced. Defence lawyer Anand Ramlogan said on 12 November 2026 that the judge will not rule in the current court sitting period and that a decision is likely early in the new year or later.
Do Friday and Bramble stay in office?
Yes, they keep their posts, and no court order has removed them. Justice Gertel Thom reserved her judgment after final arguments ended on 12 November 2026.
Constitution of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1979), sections 25 and 26. Court statements and submissions at the High Court in Kingstown, 10 to 12 November 2026.