PM Mitchell leads NDC to historic victory in Grenada

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell led his ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to an historic electoral victory on Thursday, with the party winning, for the first time since it was founded in 1987, a second consecutive term in office.

Mitchell, 49, an attorney, had brought the party into the corridors of power in June 2022, when it won a 9-6 victory, defeating the then-ruling New National Party (NNP), which at the time had commanded all 15 seats in Parliament.

“Thank you Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique for giving our National Democratic Congress team the opportunity to keep serving you,” Mitchell wrote on his Facebook page.

According to the preliminary results, the NDC won 14 of the seats, with the NNP’s lone victory this time coming in St George North West, where Tawfiq Adrian Marlan Joseph polled 2,052 votes, compared with 89 for his challenger from the NDC and 69 for the People’s National Party (PNP) candidate.

The former NNP leader, Dr Keith Mitchell, had represented that seat for 42 years, from his election victory in December 1984 until his retirement earlier this year.

Education Minister David Andrew reversed the 2022 defeat he suffered at the hands of NNP leader Emmalin Pierre, who was seeking to become the first woman prime minister of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. Andrew won the St Andrew South East seat, with Pierre polling 1,849 votes this time around, compared with 2,011 for Andrew.

Shirley McQueen of the Democratic People’s Movement (DPM) polled 19 votes.

“While the outcome of the elections is not what we had hoped and worked hard for, we must remember that our strength comes not only from the victory we celebrate but from the grace of God that carries us through life challenges,” Pierre said.

“The people of Grenada have spoken and we respect their decision. Democracy demands we accept the verdict of the population with dignity and humility,” she added.

In a brief statement posted on its website, the NNP said: “Our love for you, and commitment to, the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique remain unwavering”.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Peter David lost his Town of St George’s seat, which he first won in 2003, to Attorney General Claudette Joseph, as his newly formed DPM, which fielded nine candidates, failed to make any significant impression on voters.

Prior to the vote, political commentators had said that David, who had served in both NDC and NNP administrations, would emerge as a kingpin. However, he was only able to poll 730 votes, compared with 1,269 for Joseph and 536 for the NNP’s candidate.

Apart from the NDC, the NNP and the DPM, the other political parties, including the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP), founded in 1950 by the country’s first prime minister, Sir Eric Gairy, who was overthrown in a coup led by Maurice Bishop on March 13, 1979, the PNP, Grenada Social Democratic Party, Grenada Renaissance Party and the Change of Hope for Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, all failed to make any impression on voters.

Addressing the NDC celebration rally at Pearls Airstrip, along the northeast coast, during the early hours of Friday, Prime Minister Mitchell said: “This morning is a celebration, the real speech will come later during the day”.

He thanked all stakeholders who played a role in the elections and, more specifically, the party’s supporters for ensuring a victory for the NDC.

“This is your victory. This is your making of history. This is your belief in yourself, because as Grenadians, we know what we want. We know what we deserve. And we know where we should be going and what type of future we want to create for ourselves.

“So when we framed the campaign, you, me, us, it is because we know that without us, there is no Grenada. Grenada is about its people, not its things. And our job is to educate, uplift, nurture, support, and protect our people at all costs.

“And I can assure you, as the political leader of the National Democratic Congress, that you have our commitment to make sure that over the next five years, we continue to put you, the people of Petite Martinique, Carriacou, and Grenada first.

“We are not about no gimmicks. We are not pretending. We are authentic. We are real,” Mitchell said, adding: “It’s important for us to reflect and realise that this election outcome is your choice and reflects your belief in yourself as a Grenadian.”

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