In a formal statement released Wednesday, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has publicly rejected recent unsubstantiated reports claiming that Prime Minister Godwin Friday has surrendered a portion of his official duties, labeling the coverage as both misleading and factually erroneous. While the OPM declined to name the specific media outlet or the controversial article in its official release, multiple industry sources confirm the piece in question was published by local outlet *The St. Vincent Times*, which asserted that Deputy Prime Minister St. Clair Leacock had assumed a wide range of the prime minister’s official portfolios starting July 5.
The OPM’s press release directly clarifies the current state of governance in the country, confirming that Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Godwin Friday continues to carry out all constitutional duties and responsibilities associated with his office, as well as all ministerial portfolios assigned to his position. The statement further outlined the long-standing protocol for temporary power delegation that guides the office, noting that acting responsibilities are only transferred when the sitting prime minister is traveling outside the country’s borders.
“On those occasions when the prime minister is overseas, Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Major St. Clair Leacock has served in an acting capacity to exercise the functions of the prime minister’s office,” the statement read. It added that Health Minister Daniel Cummings steps into the acting role only when both the prime minister and deputy prime minister are out of the country simultaneously.
A key correction to the original report confirms that Prime Minister Friday is currently present in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and has maintained full control of all his official duties at all times. Contextual records show that the date cited in *The St. Vincent Times*’ “breaking news” article — July 5 — falls during the period when Friday traveled to St. Lucia to attend the biennial CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, which ran from July 5 to 8. During that trip, Leacock served as acting prime minister in line with standard governance protocol, a temporary arrangement that the original report misrepresented as a permanent handover of duties.
The inaccurate reporting has drawn sharp criticism from within the local media and political community. One senior political commentator speaking to independent local outlet iWitness News described the article, and the fundamental misunderstanding of government procedure it displays, as a damaging blemish on professional journalism in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. “The St. Vincent Times article demonstrates a shocking lack of understanding of the functioning of government that is totally unacceptable for an entity purporting to inform the public,” the commentator stated.