View source for Politics of Grenada

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The '''politics of [[Grenada]]''' takes place in a framework of a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[representative democracy]], whereby the [[List of Prime Ministers of Grenada|prime minister]] is the [[head of government]]. Grenada is an independent [[Commonwealth realm]]. It is governed under a [[multi-party system|multi-party]] parliamentary system whose political and legal traditions closely follow those of the United Kingdom; it has a prime minister and a [[Cabinet of Grenada|cabinet]], and a bicameral [[Parliament of Grenada|Parliament]] with an elected [[House of Representatives of Grenada|House of Representatives]] and an appointed [[Senate of Grenada|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.

Citizens enjoy a wide range of [[civil and political rights]] guaranteed by the constitution. Grenada's constitution provides citizens with the right to change their government peacefully. Citizens exercise this right through periodic, free, and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage.

Grenada has two significant political parties, both moderate: the [[National Democratic Congress (Grenada)|National Democratic Congress]] (liberal) and the [[New National Party of Grenada|New National Party]] (conservative). Minor parties include the up-and-coming [[Progress Party (Grenada)|Progress Party]], which is led by Kerry Velon Simmons &ndash; one of the youngest active political leaders, the left-of-center [[Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement]] (MBPM, organized by the [[Maurice Bishop|pro-Bishop]] survivors of the October 1983 anti-Bishop coup) and the populist GULP of former Prime Minister [[Eric Gairy]].

At the [[Grenadian general election, 2008|July 2008]], election the NDC won a comfortable seven-seat majority over the government of former Prime Minister [[Keith Mitchell]].  New Prime Minister [[Tillman Thomas]] formed a government after narrowly losing by one seat to Mitchell's NNP in the [[Grenada parliamentary election, 2003|November 2003]] election. In elections held on February 19, 2013, Keith Mitchell's NNP swept all fifteen parliamentary seats.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grenada opposition wins clean sweep in general election|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-21526209|website=BBC|access-date=26 June 2017}}</ref>  This historic victory was a repeat of the 1999 elections in which the NNP also swept all 15 seats. Prime Minister Mitchell has the distinction as being the only Caribbean politician to sweep all seats on two occasions. Constitutionally, this development means that there is no official opposition in Parliament. As such, Governor General Carlye Glean, who is the titular head of state, will appoint 5 Senators to the Upper House, who will serve as the de facto opposition.

Security in Grenada is maintained by the 650 members of the [[Royal Grenada Police Force]] (RGPF), which includes an 80-member paramilitary Special Services Unit (SSU) and the 30-member [[Royal Grenada Coast Guard]]. The U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard provide periodic training and material support for the SSU and the coast guard.

==Executive branch==
As head of state, {{Current Grenadian monarch |King |Charles III}} is represented in Grenada by a governor general who acts on the advice of the prime minister and the [[Cabinet of Grenada|cabinet]]. The leader of the majority party serves as Prime Minister and head of government. The cabinet consists of members, including the [[prime minister]] and ministers of executive departments. They answer politically to the House of Assembly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/grenada/government|title=Grenada: Government >> globalEDGE: Your source for Global Business Knowledge|website=globaledge.msu.edu|language=en-us|access-date=2017-09-11}}</ref> The Governor General appoints the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on the advice of the Prime Minister and the [[Leader of the Opposition (Grenada)|Leader of the Opposition]]. The Governor General appoints the other justices with the advice of a judicial commission. The Privy Council of the United Kingdom serves as the highest appellate court.<ref>{{cite web |title=Role of the JCPC |url=https://www.jcpc.uk/about/role-of-the-jcpc.html |website=JCPC |access-date=8 October 2021}}</ref>

{{multiple image
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| header            = Main office-holders
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| image1            = {{Current Grenadian monarch |image}}
| width1            = 
| caption1          = The [[Monarchy of Grenada|{{Current Grenadian monarch |King}} of Grenada]]:<br />'''{{Current Grenadian monarch |Charles III}}'''<br />since<br />{{nowrap|{{Current Grenadian monarch |ascension}}}}
| image2            = Cecile La Grenade 2022-07-01.jpg
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| caption2          = The [[Governor-General of Grenada]]:<br />'''[[Cécile La Grenade|Dame Cécile La Grenade]]'''<br />since<br />{{nowrap|7 May 2013}}
| image3            = Dickon Mitchell 2022-07-01.jpg
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| caption3          = The [[Prime Minister of Grenada]]:<br />'''[[Dickon Mitchell]]'''<br />since<br />{{nowrap|24 June 2022}}
}}

==Legislative branch==
The [[Parliament of Grenada|Parliament]] has two [[bicameralism|chambers]]. The House of Representatives has 15 members, elected for a five-year term in single-seat [[constituency|constituencies]]. The Senate has 13 appointed members, 10 appointed by the government and three by the parliamentary opposition).

==Political parties and elections==
{{Elect|List of political parties in Grenada|Elections in Grenada|}}{{Election results|image=[[File:Grenadian Parliament 2022.svg]]|party1=[[National Democratic Congress (Grenada)|National Democratic Congress]]|votes1=31430|seats1=9|sc1=+9|party2=[[New National Party (Grenada)|New National Party]]|votes2=28959|seats2=6|sc2=–9|party3=[[Grenada United Labour Party]]|votes3=64|seats3=0|sc3=New|party4=Independent Freedom Party|votes4=60|seats4=0|sc4=New|color4=#DC6E3E|party5=[[Grenada Renaissance Party]]|votes5=31|seats5=0|sc5=0|party6=Independents|votes6=86|seats6=0|sc6=0|total_sc=0|invalid=311|electorate=86658|source=[http://elections2022.gd/ Grenada Elections 2022]}}

== Judicial branch ==
The [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]] was the highest court until 1979, when [[People's Law]] No. 84 was passed terminating appeals from the Grenadian courts. Appeals to the J.C.P.C. was restored in 1991.

[[West Indies Associated States Supreme Court]] or Eastern Caribbean States Supreme Court is the judiciary of Grenada from 1967 to 1979 and since 1991. An associate judge resides in Grenada.

From 1979 to 1991 the court system comprises the High Court and the Court of Appeals, which replaced the Eastern Caribbean States Supreme Court established under the West Indies Act of 1967. Grenada was readmitted into the Eastern Caribbean States Supreme Court in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |author=[[Lawrence Albert Joseph]] |title=The origin of the Supreme Court in Grenada (Third Article in a Series) |url=https://thegrenadainformer.com/columnists/item/607-the-origin-of-the-supreme-court-in-grenada-third-article-in-a-series |website=thegrenadainformer.com |access-date=1 December 2021 |date=4 September 2013}}</ref>

==Administrative divisions==
6 parishes and 1 dependency*; [[Carriacou]] and Petit Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick

==International organization participation==
ACP, C, [[Caricom]], [[Caribbean Development Bank|CDB]], ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, [[Interpol (organization)|Interpol]], IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO, frat{{clarify|What do these jumbles of letters mean?|date=June 2021}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{cite web |title=The Grenada Constitution |url=https://www.gov.gd/index.php/government/the-constitution |website=Government of Grenada {{!}} Web Portal |language=en-gb}}

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[[Category:Politics of Grenada| ]]