Preliminary figures released by the electoral office showed that the ULP had won nine of the 15 seats in the Parliament, an increase of three seats on the one-seat majority he had in the past two general elections.
It is the first time that a political party has won five consecutive general elections in St Vincent.
ULP supporters celebrated the party’s win.
But one of the causalities of the election was Health Minister Luke Brown, who was defeated by newcomer, Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble in the East Kingstown constituency.
Gonsalves, 74, easily won his North Central Windward seat he has been representing since 2001, brushing aside his two contenders – Chieftain Neptune of the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) and Kadmiel McFee of the CVG Green Party.
In a message posted on his Facebook page, Gonsalves thanked voters for returning the ULP to power.
“It’s celebration time. It is five in they tail,” he wrote. “I am humbled and honoured that the people of St Vincent & the Grenadines embraced our bold vision for the future and rejected the politics of hate, backwardsness and colonialism.”
NDP leader Dr Godwin Friday, 61, who led the party into a general election for the first time, easily retained the Northern Grenadines seat he has represented in Parliament since 2001.
The NDP, as has been customary, swept the two seats on the sister isles of the Grenadines.