GOVERNMENT
Grenada
is governed under a parliamentary system based on the British
model; it has a governor general, a prime minister and a Cabinet,
and a bicameral Parliament with an elected House of Representatives
and an appointed Senate.
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.
The political
parties in Grenada are the New National Party (NNP), which remains
moderate; the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which is now
made up of some members of the NJM and the original NDC; the People’s
Labor Movement (PLM), which is a combination of members of the
original NDC and the Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement (MBPM);
and the Grenada United Labor Party (GULP). TNP and MBPM no longer
exist.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), launched in 2001 to investigate the period between the mid-1970s and the late 1980s, sent its report to the government in May 2006. The long-awaited (and two years overdue) report was only released to the public in mid-September 2006, when the government announced it would implement the TRC's recommendations. However, the government was vague on the details of how or when the recommendations would be implemented and called for additional public input. There has been no further progress.
In February 2007, the Privy Council in London handed down its verdict on the appeal of the group that was convicted of murdering Prime Minister Bishop and members of his cabinet in 1983. The "Group of 14" were originally condemned to death, but the sentence was commuted to life in prison. The three triggermen, sentenced to 30 years in prison as they were following orders, were released in December 2006 after serving two-thirds of their original sentence, as per local law. The remainder of the group argued that the original trial was unjust and appealed to the Privy Council to overturn the verdict and sentence. The Privy Council decision, however, only vacated the sentence, on the grounds that the death sentence was inappropriate. It upheld the convictions of multiple homicides, stripping the group of its political prisoner status. The case was returned to the Grenada Supreme Court for resentencing. Although a date has been requested, the case has not yet made it onto the court's calendar.
The 800 members of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF), which includes an 80-member paramilitary special services unit (SSU) and a 30-member coast guard, maintain security in Grenada. The U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard provide periodic training and material support for the SSU and the coast guard. The Departments of State and Treasury provide support to the Financial Investigative Unit (FIU).
Principal
Government Officials
Head of State--Queen Elizabeth II
Governor General--Sir Daniel C. Williams, G.C.M.G., Q.C.
Prime Minister--Dr. Keith C. Mitchell
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Elvin Nimrod
Ambassador to the United States and OAS--Denis G. Antoine
Ambassador to the United Nations--Angus Friday
Grenada
maintains an embassy in the United States at 1701 New Hampshire
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 (tel: 202-265-2561).
Government
Type: Constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style Parliament.
Independence: February 7, 1974.
Constitution: December 19, 1975.
Branches: Executive -- governor general (appointed
by and represents British monarch, head of state); prime minister
(head of government, leader of majority party) and Cabinet direct
an apolitical career civil service in the administration of the
government. Legislative -- Parliament composed of 15 directly
elected members in the House of Representatives and a 13-seat
Senate appointed by the governor general on the advice of the
majority party and opposition. Judicial -- magistrate's
courts, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (high court and court
of appeals), final appeal to privy council in London.
Subdivisions: Six parishes and one dependency (Carriacou
and Petit Martinique).
Major political parties: New National Party (NNP), incumbent;
National Democratic Congress (NDC); Grenada United Labor Party
(GULP).
Suffrage: Universal at 18
