General elections were held in Grenada on 8 July 2008. Out of a total of fifteen seats, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) won eleven seats and the governing New National Party (NNP) won four, bringing the NDC to power for the first time since 1995.[1] The NNP was looking for a fourth consecutive term in power, which would have been a first in Grenadian history.[2]
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All 15 seats in the House of Representatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Results by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Campaign
editIn its election manifesto, which it debuted on June 25, 2008, the NNP promised the creation of 4,000 jobs, along with 4% growth in the economy.[3]
Opinion polls
editA poll conducted by the Caribbean Development Research Services from June 6 to June 9 showed the NNP with 36.4% support, the NDC with 32.3% support, the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP) with 1.1% support, and the People's Labour Movement (PLM) with 0.8% support.[3] The two later formed an electoral alliance, the Labour Platform.
Results
editIn one notable outcome of the election, Deputy Prime Minister Gregory Bowen of the NNP was defeated in his constituency of St. George South East by Pastor Karl Hood of the NDC.[4] Mitchell was re-elected from the constituency of St. George North West.[5] The result was disproportional in terms of seats earned compared to votes obtained, with a Gallagher index measurement of 21.74.[6]
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| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
| National Democratic Congress | 29,007 | 51.17 | 11 | +4 | |
| New National Party | 27,189 | 47.96 | 4 | –4 | |
| Labour Platform (GULP–PLM) | 478 | 0.84 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 12 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 56,686 | 100.00 | 15 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 56,686 | 99.61 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 222 | 0.39 | |||
| Total votes | 56,908 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 71,751 | 79.31 | |||
| Source: Caribbean Elections | |||||
Elected members
editReactions
editThe Organization of American States (OAS) observed the elections, and it described "the electoral process in Grenada during the General Elections as extremely positive, with relatively few areas that could be improved."[7] All of the polling sites were observed, and voters were calm and well-behaved.
A political party in nearby Dominica, the People's Democratic Movement, attributed the victory to Mitchell's "arrogance, intolerance to criticism and lack of consultation with the people" during his time in office.[8]
Aftermath
editNDC leader Tillman Thomas succeeded the NNP's Keith Mitchell as Prime Minister of Grenada on July 9.[1][4] He was sworn in at the Grenada Trade Centre in Grand Anse, St. George's by Governor-General Daniel Williams.[4] On this occasion, Thomas promised "openness and transparency" and said that he would practice "the politics of inclusion".[1] For his part, Mitchell said that the people voted for change and congratulated Thomas.[4] Thomas's cabinet, composed of 17 members, was sworn in at the National Stadium on July 13. In addition to being Prime Minister, Thomas took the portfolios of Legal Affairs, National Security, Information, and Public Administration. Two members of non-governmental organizations who were not affiliated with the NDC were included in the cabinet: Franca Bernadine as Minister of Education and Human Resources, and Jimmy Bristol as Attorney-General.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c "New Grenada prime minister vows to boost economy, lower cost of living". Associated Press (International Herald Tribune), July 9, 2008. Archived from the original on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ "Grenada opposition wins general election". Jamaica Observer. 10 July 2008. Archived from the original on 11 July 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Ruling Party Leads All in Grenada" Archived 2008-08-29 at the Wayback Machine, Angus Reid Global Monitor, June 29, 2008.
- ^ a b c d George Worme, "Thomas wins by a landslide in Grenada" Archived 2008-07-14 at the Wayback Machine, The Nation (Barbados), July 10, 2008.
- ^ "A decisive victory: Let there be no doubt" Archived 2008-08-03 at the Wayback Machine, GrenadaBroadcast.com.
- ^ https://www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/about/people/michael_gallagher/ElSystems/Docts/ElectionIndices.pdf
- ^ "OAS observers report few problems with Grenada election process". Caribbean Net News. 10 July 2008. Archived from the original on 31 July 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ^ "Talks of Grenada's election buzzing in Dominica". Dominica News Online. 10 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ^ Linda Straker, "Seventeen Member Cabinet Appointed in Grenada" Archived 2008-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, CaribWorldNews, July 14, 2008.