A constitutional referendum was 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 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.

Proposed amendments

The seven proposed amendments were: #The

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becomes the final court of appeal (as opposed to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August ...

in London); renaming the Supreme Court of Grenada and the West Indies Associated States as the "Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court"; introducing a code of conduct for civil servants; changing the oath of allegiance so that allegiance is sworn to Grenada instead of the Queen.Fact Sheet: Grenada Constitution Reform
Now Grenada, 19 September 2016 (CCJ and Other Justice Related Matters) #Creation of an Elections and Boundaries Commission to replace the Constituency Boundaries Commission and the Supervisor of Elections. (Elections and Boundaries Commission) #Allow the leader of the party with the most votes to be appointed Leader of the Opposition and to sit in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

if the second-placed party fails to win a seat in a general election. (Ensuring a Leader of the Opposition) #Introduce fixed dates for elections, with the caveat that a vote of no confidence may trigger an early election. (Fixed Date for Elections) #Changing the official name of the State from "Grenada" to "Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique". (Name of State) #An expansion of the list of fundamental rights and freedoms. (Rights and Freedoms) #Limiting the Prime Minister to three consecutive terms in office. (Term of Office of Prime Minister)

Campaign

The proposed amendments were supported by the governing New National Party headed by Prime Minister

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 ...

, as well as the Grenada National Organisation of Women and Groundation Grenada NGOs. The National Democratic Congress opposed the reforms, as did the Alliance Evangelical Churches.

Results

References

{{Grenadian elections

Constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

Referendums in Grenada Constitutional referendums