Keith Mitchell | |
---|---|
![]() Mitchell in 2021 | |
9th Prime Minister of Grenada | |
In office 20 February 2013 –24 June 2022 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governors‑General | Sir Carlyle Glean Dame Cécile La Grenade |
Preceded by | Tillman Thomas |
Succeeded by | Dickon Mitchell |
In office 22 June 1995 –9 July 2008 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governors‑General | Sir Reginald Palmer Sir Daniel Williams |
Preceded by | George Brizan |
Succeeded by | Tillman Thomas |
Leader of the New National Party | |
Assumed office 18 January 1989 | |
Preceded by | Herbert Blaize |
Leader of the Opposition | |
Assumed office 4 July 2022 | |
Monarchs | Elizabeth II Charles III |
Prime Minister | Dickon Mitchell |
Preceded by | Tobias Clement |
In office 9 July 2008 –20 February 2013 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Prime Minister | Tillman Thomas |
Preceded by | Tillman Thomas |
Succeeded by | Vacant Tobias Clement (in 2020) [1] |
Member of Parliament for St. George North West | |
Assumed office 3 December 1984 | |
Preceded by | George Hosten |
Majority | 2,500 (71.61%) |
Personal details | |
Born | Keith Claudius Mitchell 12 November 1946 Brizan,Grenada |
Political party | New National Party |
Spouse | Marietta Mitchell |
Children | Olinga Mitchell |
Alma mater | University of the West Indies Howard University American University Presentation Brothers' College |
Keith Claudius Mitchell (born 12 November 1946) is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Grenadian history,holding the office for more than 22 years. He is currently leader of the New National Party (NNP) and has been the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives of Grenada from 2008 to 2013, [2] and again since 2022. [3]
Keith Claudius Mitchell was born in the community of Brizan,Saint George. Mitchell graduated from The University of the West Indies with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and chemistry in 1971. He gained a master's degree from Howard University in 1975 and a doctorate in mathematics and statistics from American University in 1979. [4] [5] He then worked as a statistician at Applied Management Sciences,providing statistical support to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 1984,Mitchell gave up his professional activities to return home to Grenada after the U.S. invasion. [6]
Mitchell was a cricketer,a spin bowler who captained the Grenada team in 1973. [7] He has since been a prominent cricket administrator in the West Indies alongside his political career. [8]
In the December 1984 general election,Mitchell was elected to a seat in the House of Representatives from St. George North West constituency and he has held the seat in each subsequent election. [9] Mitchell was elected as leader of the NNP in January 1989, [10] [11] defeating Prime Minister Herbert Blaize. [10] Blaize then dismissed Mitchell from his position as Minister of Communications and Works on 21 July 1989. [11]
After the NNP was victorious in the general election held on 20 June 1995,winning eight out of 15 seats in the House of Representatives,Mitchell took office as Prime Minister,along with his Cabinet,on 22 June. [12] Under Mitchell's leadership,the party won all 15 seats in the early election held in January 1999,and the NNP narrowly won a third term in power in the November 2003 election,reduced to a one-seat parliamentary majority. [10] Mitchell held the additional portfolio of Minister of Finance for three periods.
The New National Party was defeated in the general election held on 8 July 2008 by the National Democratic Congress (NDC),winning only four seats against 11 for the NDC. [13] Mitchell himself was re-elected to his seat from St. George North West. [9] [14] NDC leader Tillman Thomas succeeded Mitchell as Prime Minister on 9 July. Mitchell said that the people voted for change and congratulated Thomas. [13] Following the election,he continued as NNP leader and was sworn in as Leader of the Opposition on 16 July 2008. [15]
In the February 2013 general election,the NNP again won all 15 parliamentary seats. After this resounding victory,Mitchell was sworn in as Prime Minister on 20 February 2013. [16] Looking ahead to the next election,Mitchell predicted that his party could win all 15 seats in parliament for a third time. Mitchell and his New National Party created history by retaining all 15 seats in the Grenada General Election of 13 March 2018. It is the first time any political party regionally or otherwise has achieved such a feat. [17] Mitchell held the additional portfolio of Minister of Finance until 2020. [18]
In June 2022,Mitchell called a snap general election. His New National Party was defeated by the National Democratic Congress under Dickon Mitchell,winning just 6 seats to the NDC's 9. [19] Mitchell subsequently became Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives of Grenada.
In 1997,Mitchell became the first prime minister since Maurice Bishop to visit Cuba,signing an economic cooperation agreement. [20] He re-established relations with the People's Republic of China in 2005. [21]
Mitchell approved 1996 plans by the United States Coast Guard to build a base on Petite Martinique. [22] He allowed medical visits from USNS Comfort (T-AH-20). [23]
The history of Grenada in the Caribbean,part of the Lesser Antilles group of islands,covers a period from the earliest human settlements to the establishment of the contemporary nationstate of Grenada. First settled by indigenous peoples,Grenada by the time of European contact was inhabited by the Caribs. French colonists killed most of the Caribs on the island and established plantations on the island,eventually importing African slaves to work on the sugar plantations.
The politics of Grenada takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy,whereby the prime minister is the head of government. Grenada is an independent Commonwealth realm. It is governed under a multi-party parliamentary system whose political and legal traditions closely follow those of the United Kingdom;it has a prime minister and a cabinet,and a bicameral Parliament with an elected House of Representatives and an appointed Senate. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech,press,worship,motion,and association. Grenada is a member of the eastern Caribbean court system. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law.
Sir Daniel Charles WilliamsCOG is a Grenadian lawyer who served as Governor-General of Grenada from 8 August 1996 until 27 November 2008. He was formally appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on 9 August 1996 after having been nominated by Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.
The New National Party (NNP), also known as NNP Grenada,Carriacou and Petite Martinique,is a conservative political party in Grenada. It is led by former Prime Minister,Keith Mitchell.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC),also known as the National Democratic Congress of Grenada,Carriacou and Petite Martinique,is a social democratic and centre-left political party in Grenada. It is the governing party in Grenada,having won a majority in the 2022 general elections. The party is led by current prime minister Dickon Mitchell as of October 2021.
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. The NNP was looking for a fourth consecutive term in power,which would have been a first in Grenadian history.
George Ignatius Brizan,CMG,CBE was a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada for four months in 1995. He moved to the top post in February,upon the resignation of Nicholas Brathwaite,and remained in office until Keith Mitchell was inaugurated on 22 June.
Mia Amor Mottley,is a Barbadian politician and attorney who has served as the eighth prime minister of Barbados since 2018 and as Leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mottley is the first woman to hold either position. She is also Barbados' first prime minister under its republican system,following constitutional changes she introduced that abolished the country's constitutional monarchy.
Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands,Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about 100 miles north of Trinidad and the South American mainland.
Tillman Joseph Thomas,CBE 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.
Charles Peter David is a Grenadian politician. He is the Deputy General Secretary of the New National Party (NNP),(Grenada),a member of the House of Representatives from the Town of Saint George constituency,and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from July 2008 to November 2010. He subsequently served as Minister of Tourism until he resigned from the Cabinet on April 30,2012.
Sir John Augustus Fitzroy Watts KCMG CBE was a Grenadian dentist,politician and co-founder of the Grenada National Party.
A constitutional referendum was held in Grenada on 24 November 2016. Voters were asked whether they approved of seven amendments,with each one voted on separately. The amendments would only have been approved if two-thirds of valid votes had been cast in favour. However,all seven proposals were rejected by voters. It was the first referendum in Grenada's history.
General elections were held in Barbados on 24 May 2018. The result was a landslide victory for the opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP),which won all 30 seats in the House of Assembly,resulting in BLP leader Mia Mottley becoming the country's first female Prime Minister. The BLP's victory was the first time a party had won every seat in the House of Assembly. Previously,the most one-sided result for a Barbadian election had been in 1999,when the BLP won 26 of the 28 seats. The BLP's 73.5 percent vote share was also the highest on record.
General elections were held in Saint Lucia on 26 July 2021,having been constitutionally required by 12 October 2021. Voters elected all 17 members of the House of Assembly. The result was a victory for the opposition Saint Lucia Labour Party,which won 13 of the 17 seats in the House,while the ruling United Workers Party lost nine of its eleven seats,its worst result since 1997. It was the fourth consecutive election in which the incumbent government was defeated.
Joseph Junior Sylvester Atherley is a Barbadian religious minister and politician who served as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Assembly of Barbados from 2018 to 2022,and as leader of the People's Party for Democracy and Development since 8 June 2019.
Snap general elections were held in Grenada on 23 June 2022. The incumbent Prime Minister Keith Mitchell sought a sixth term. National Democratic Congress (NDC) made a return to parliament after nine years of absence,defeating the ruling party New National Party (NNP),which led to Dickon Mitchell becoming the new prime minister of Grenada. This is also the first election since 2008 where the NDC gained seats.
Dickon Amiss Thomas Mitchell is a Grenadian politician and attorney serving as the prime minister of Grenada since 24 June 2022 and the leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) since 2021. He led his party to victory in the 2022 general election.
Events in the year 2022 in Grenada.
Yolande Bain-Horsford is a Grenadian politician who has been a Minister of Tourism,the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister of Sport and Culture. She is a leading member of Grenada's New National Party.