Yearbook 2008
Grenada. According to
Countryaah reports, Attorney Tillman Thomas became G's new prime
minister after the July parliamentary elections, when his
Liberal Party National Democratic Congress (NDC) defeated
the bourgeois New National Party (NNP), which has been in
office for 13 years. NDC received just over 51 percent of
the vote, while NNP took home just under 48 percent. The
election system resulted in the NDC being awarded 11 of the
15 seats, while the NNP had to settle for 4 seats. During
the election campaign, the NNP government with leader Keith
Mitchell had been criticized for an authoritarian style.
Contributing to the change of government were also the NDC's
promises of investments in health and youth issues. The
turnout was around 80 percent. The election, which was the
first since Hurricane Ivan devastated G. in 2004, was
described as free and fair.
When Thomas took office as prime minister a day after the
election, he promised in his installation speech to form an
"open" and "inclusive" government whose aim would be to
improve the country's economy and reduce the living costs of
its residents. Four days later he formed his government.
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