Grenadian general election, 2008

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Grenadian general election, 2008
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←  2003 July 8, 2008 2013  →
All 15 seats to the House of Representatives of Grenada
 First partySecond party
  TillmanThomas.jpg Keith Mitchell.jpg
Leader Tillman Thomas Keith Mitchell
Party NDC NNP
Last election7 seats, 45.4%8 seats, 47.8%
Seats won114
Seat change+4–4
Popular vote29,00727,189
Percentage51.2%48.0%
Swing+5.8%+0.2%
Grenadian general election map, 2008.svg
Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.
PM before election

Keith Mitchell
NNP

Elected PM

Tillman Thomas
NDC

Grenada
Coat of arms of Grenada.svg
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Grenada
Administrative divisions (parishes)
Foreign relations

A general election was 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 seats, thus 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]

Grenada country in the Caribbean

Grenada is a country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself plus six smaller islands which lie to the north of the main island. It is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its size is 348.5 square kilometres (134.6 sq mi), and it had an estimated population of 107,317 in 2016. Its capital is St. George's. Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice" due to its production of nutmeg and mace crops, of which it is one of the world's largest exporters. The national bird of Grenada is the critically endangered Grenada dove.

National Democratic Congress (Grenada) political party in Grenada

The National Democratic Congress is a liberal centre-left political party in Grenada. It was the governing party in Grenada from 2008 to 2013 and previously from 1990 to 1995. Nazim Burke is the party leader.

The New National Party is a conservative political party in Grenada. It is led by the current Prime Minister, Keith Mitchell.

Contents

Campaigning

In 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]

Pre-election polling

A 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.

Grenada United Labour Party

The Grenada United Labour Party (GULP) is a political party in Grenada.

Peoples Labour Movement

The People's Labour Movement was a political party in Grenada founded by Francis Alexis. It was one of the oldest political parties of Grenada. It became defunct after the 2008 elections.

Reactions to the election

The 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." [4] All of the polling sites were observed, and voters were calm and well-behaved.

Organization of American States international organization

The Organization of American States, or the OAS or OEA, is a continental organization that was founded on 30 April 1948, for the purposes of regional solidarity and cooperation among its member states. Headquartered in the United States capital Washington, D.C., the OAS's members are the 35 independent states of the Americas.

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. [5]

Dominica country in the Caribbean

Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the West Indies. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is part of the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The island is located near Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Its area is 750 km2 (290 sq mi), and the highest point is Morne Diablotins, at 1,447 m (4,747 ft) in elevation. The population was 71,293 at the 2011 census. The Commonwealth of Dominica is one of the Caribbean's few republics.

The People's Democratic Movement is a minor political party in Dominica. The party was founded in 2007 and is led by Williams Riviere, a former executive member of the Dominica Labour Party. In the 2009 elections it put forward three candidates. However, they received only 179 votes (0.49%) and failed to win a seat.

Swearing in of Thomas, Cabinet formation

NDC leader Tillman Thomas succeeded the NNP's Keith Mitchell as Prime Minister of Grenada on July 9. [1] [6] He was sworn in at the Grenada Trade Centre in Grand Anse, St. George's by Governor-General Daniel Williams. [6] 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. [6] 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. [7]

Tillman Thomas Grenadian Prime Minister

Tillman Joseph Thomas is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 2008 to 2013. He was the leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from 2000 to 2014.

Keith Mitchell Grenadian politician

Keith Claudius Mitchell is a Grenadian politician who has been Prime Minister of Grenada since 2013; previously he served as Prime Minister from 1995 to 2008. He is the longest serving Prime Minister Grenada has ever had, holding the office for almost 19 years. He is currently leader of the New National Party (NNP) and was Leader of the Opposition in Parliament from 2008 to 2013.

St. Georges, Grenada Town in Saint George, Grenada

St. George's is the capital of Grenada. The town is surrounded by a hillside of an old volcano crater and is on a horseshoe-shaped harbor.

Results

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
National Democratic Congress 29,00751.1711+4
New National Party 27,18947.964–4
Labour Platform4780.840New
Independents 120.0200
Invalid/blank votes222–––
Total56,908100150
Registered voters/turnout71,75179.31––
Source: Caribbean Elections

In 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. [6] Mitchell was re-elected from the constituency of St. George North West. [8] Complete results are as follows: [9]

Seat locationWinnerParty
Carriacou and Petite Martinique Elvin Nimrod New National Party
Saint Andrew North East Roland Bhola New National Party
Saint Andrew North West Alleyne Walker National Democratic Congress
Saint Andrew South East Patrick Simmons National Democratic Congress
Saint Andrew South West Sylvester Quarless National Democratic Congress
Saint David Denis Lett National Democratic Congress
Saint George North East Nazim Burke National Democratic Congress
Saint George North West Keith Mitchell New National Party
Saint George South Glynis Roberts National Democratic Congress
Saint George South East Karl Hood National Democratic Congress
Town of St. George Peter David National Democratic Congress
Saint John Michael Church National Democratic Congress
Saint Mark Clarice Modest-Curwen New National Party
Saint Patrick East Tillman Thomas National Democratic Congress
Saint Patrick West Joseph Gilbert National Democratic Congress

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The Arawaks were guided to Dominica, and other islands of the Caribbean, by the South Equatorial Current from the waters of the Orinoco River. These descendants of the early Taínos were overthrown by the Kalinago tribe of the Caribs.

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The politics of Dominica takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Dominica is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the House of Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "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 2008-08-04. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  2. ↑ "Grenada opposition wins general election". Jamaica Observer. 2008-07-10. Archived from the original on 2008-07-11. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  3. 1 2 "Ruling Party Leads All in Grenada" Archived 2008-08-29 at the Wayback Machine ., Angus Reid Global Monitor, June 29, 2008.
  4. ↑ "OAS observers report few problems with Grenada election process". Caribbean Net News. 2008-07-10. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  5. ↑ "Talks of Grenada's election buzzing in Dominica". Dominica News Online. 2008-07-10. Archived from the original on 2008-08-03. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  6. 1 2 3 4 George Worme, "Thomas wins by a landslide in Grenada" Archived 2008-07-14 at the Wayback Machine ., The Nation (Barbados), July 10, 2008.
  7. ↑ Linda Straker, "Seventeen Member Cabinet Appointed in Grenada" Archived 2008-07-16 at the Wayback Machine ., CaribWorldNews, July 14, 2008.
  8. ↑ "A decisive victory: Let there be no doubt" Archived 2008-08-03 at the Wayback Machine ., GrenadaBroadcast.com.
  9. ↑ "New prime minister of Grenada sworn in". Caribbean Net News. 2008-07-10. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
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