Grenada

Island country in the Caribbean, the southernmost of the Windward Islands.

Government
The constitution, which dates from full independence in 1974, provides for a system modelled on that of Britain, with a resident governor general, representing the British monarch, as the formal head of state, and a prime minister and cabinet drawn from and collectively responsible to parliament.

Parliament consists of two chambers, a 15‐member House of Representatives, elected by universal suffrage, and a Senate of 13, appointed by the governor general, seven on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and three after wider consultation. Both serve five‐year terms.

History
Prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1498, Grenada was inhabited by Carib Indians. The island was eventually colonized by France in 1650 and ceded to Britain in 1783.

Grenada remained a British colony until 1958, when it joined the Federation of the West Indies until its dissolution in 1962. Internal self‐government was achieved in 1967 and full independence within the Commonwealth in 1974. The early political life of the nation was dominated by two figures: Eric Gairy (1922–97), a trade‐union leader who founded the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP) in 1950, and Herbert Blaize, of the Grenada National Party (GNP).

After independence
On independence in 1974, Gairy was elected prime minister. He was knighted in 1977, but his rule became increasingly autocratic and corrupt, and he was replaced in 1979 in a bloodless coup by the leader of the left‐wing New Jewel Movement (NJM), Maurice Bishop. Bishop suspended the 1974 constitution, established a People's Revolutionary Government, and announced the formation of a people's consultative assembly to draft a new constitution. He promised a non‐aligned foreign policy but became convinced that the USA was involved in a plot to destabilize his administration; this was strongly denied.

Grenada's relations with Britain and the USA deteriorated while links with Cuba and the USSR grew stronger. In 1983 Bishop tried to improve relations with the USA and announced the appointment of a commission to draft a new constitution. His conciliatory attitude was opposed by the more left‐wing members of his regime, resulting in a military coup, during which Bishop and three of his colleagues were executed.

US‐led invasion
A Revolutionary Military Council (RMC), led by General Hudson Austin, took control. In response to public outcry at the executions, Austin promised an early return to civilian rule, but on 25 October about 1,900 US troops, accompanied by 300 from Jamaica and Barbados, invaded the island. It was not clear whether the invasion was in response to a request from the governor general or on the initiative of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. The RMC forces were defeated and Austin and his colleagues arrested.

New political parties
In November 1983 the governor general appointed a nonpolitical interim council, and the 1974 constitution was reinstated. Several political parties emerged from hiding, including Eric Gairy's GULP and Herbert Blaize's GNP. After considerable manoeuvring, an informal coalition of centre and left‐of‐centre parties formed the New National Party (NNP), led by Blaize. In the 1984 general election the NNP won a clear majority in the House of Representatives and Blaize became prime minister.

The USA withdrew most of its forces by the end of 1983 and the remainder by July 1985. In party elections in January 1989, Blaize lost the leadership of the NNP to Keith Mitchell but continued as prime minister. Blaize died in December 1989 and was succeeded by a close colleague, Ben Jones. Elections in 1991 brought Nicholas Braithwaite of the National Democratic Congress to power. George Brizan succeeded Braithwaite as NDC leader in September 1994 and as premier in February 1995. The NNP was returned to power in the June 1995 general election and Keith Mitchell became prime minister. In the January 1999 general election the NNP won all 15 House of Representatives seats, with 62.2% of the popular vote.