ST GEORGE’S – The Parliamentary Elections Office (PEO) announced on Wednesday that 41 candidates were nominated to contest general elections on June 23, with the two main parties contesting all 15 seats in the Parliament.
In a statement, the PEO said apart from the governing New National Party (NNP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), three other parties were contesting the elections that Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell called almost a year ahead of the constitutional date.
Two of the three other parties, the Grenada Renaissance Party (GRP) and the Independent Freedom Party (IP) are contesting three seats each, and the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP), which once dominated politics in the Spice Isle, is contesting four seats while there is one independent candidate.
Mitchell, who is hoping to win a third consecutive term in office after having led the NNP to consecutive sweeps of all the seats in the Parliament in the previous two general elections, said he remains confident that the party will win the polls.
“I expect a bigger victory in terms of the numbers in each constituency than we had in 2018 and 2013,” he said. “I am very confident.”
He added that he was also encouraged by the turn-out of supporters as he handed in his nomination papers.
“It’s the biggest one we have ever had…,” he said. “It tells me about the love and the appreciation of the people of North West, and I never expected to see that crowd.
“There is a mood in the country which is stronger than I have ever seen, and I think people understand the importance of this election and that’s why you see them coming out in such numbers”.
Mitchell, 75, who has indicated that this will be his last general election, said: “There will have to be a national disaster for me to reconsider because my plan is to ensure the continuation of leadership of the New National Party.”
The NDC, which last won a general election 14 years ago and experienced back-to-back clean sweeps in the following general elections, is being led by attorney Dickon Mitchell, who is confident of reversing the fortunes of the party.
Speaking after handing in his nomination papers for the St David constituency, the NDC leader said he was looking forward to people turning out and “casting their ballots and initiating the process of going forward”.
He promised “true and honest representation”, adding “we need to put the people of Grenada first, we need to put our communities first and we have to be accountable to our communities”.
“As I said before, we are here to represent the people and not the other way around, and I pledge that commitment not just to the people of St David’s, but all of the citizens of Grenada,” Mitchell said.
(CMC)
