General elections were held in

Grenada 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 north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

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.

Campaign

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., Angus Reid Global Monitor, June 29, 2008.

Opinion polls

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 The Grenada United Labour Party (GULP) is a political party in Grenada. History The party was founded by Eric Gairy in 1950. It contested the first elections held under universal suffrage in 1951, and won six of the eight seats. Nohlen, D (2005 ...

(GULP) with 1.1% support, and the

People's Labour Movement The People's Labour Movement (PLM) was a political party in Grenada founded by Francis Alexis. It became defunct after the 2008 Grenadian general election, 2008 elections. History The PLM was founded as the Democratic Labour Party in December ...

(PLM) with 0.8% support. The two later formed an electoral alliance, the Labour Platform.

Results

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. Mitchell was re-elected from the constituency of St. George North West. The result was disproportional in terms of seats earned compared to votes obtained, with a

Gallagher index The Gallagher index measures an electoral system's relative Proportional representation, disproportionality between votes received and seats in a legislature. As such, it measures the difference between the percentage of votes each party gets and ...

measurement of 21.74.

Elected members

Reactions

The

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

(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." All of the polling sites were observed, and voters were calm and well-behaved. A political party in nearby

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

, the

People's Democratic Movement The People's Democratic Movement is a political party in Papua New Guinea. It was founded by Paias Wingti in 1985, after his faction left the Pangu Party. Wingti served as prime minister from 1985 to 1988 and from 1992 to 1994. He was later repl ...

, attributed the victory to Mitchell's "arrogance, intolerance to criticism and lack of consultation with the people" during his time in office.

Aftermath

NDC leader Tillman Thomas succeeded the NNP's

Keith Mitchell 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 mo ...

Prime Minister of Grenada This is a list of Head of government, heads of government of Grenada, from the establishment of the office of the chief minister in 1960 to the present day. List of officeholders ;Political parties ;Other affiliations ;Symbols Died in ...

on July 9.George Worme
"Thomas wins by a landslide in Grenada"
, ''The Nation'' (Barbados), July 10, 2008. He was sworn in at the Grenada Trade Centre in Grand Anse, St. George's by Governor-General Daniel Williams. On this occasion, Thomas promised "openness and transparency" and said that he would practice "the politics of inclusion". For his part, Mitchell said that the people voted for change and congratulated Thomas. 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.Linda Straker
"Seventeen Member Cabinet Appointed in Grenada"
, CaribWorldNews, July 14, 2008.

References

{{Grenadian elections Elections in Grenada

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...