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 left of center National Democratic Congress (NDC), which is now made up of some members of the New Jewel Movement (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). The National Party (TNP) and MBPM no longer exist. The Good Old Democracy Party (GOD) has only one adherent but contests all elections.
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 original 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. The resentencing was heard during the 2007 June Assizes, lasting one week. The court overturned the life sentences. Three of the 13 prisoners were released immediately for time served and the remaining ten are expected to be released in three or four years from the time of resentencing. Some family members of those killed in 1983 were unhappy with the new sentencing as it did not address the whereabouts of the bodies of their loved ones. Accusations of bias against the Barbadian judge arose when it was alleged that he had been a supporter of Maurice Bishop's New Jewel Movement in the 1970s and 1980s.
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--Carlyle Arnold Glean
Prime Minister--Tillman Thomas
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Peter David
Ambassador to the United States and OAS--vacant
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
