Grenada Votes In High-Stakes Election

By Marcia Braveboy

News Americas Now, St. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, Thurs. Nov. 5, 2026: Grenadians are voting in today’s general elections and their choice is whether or not they will give the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by Dickon Mitchell an historic second term in office, or if they will shatter this dream and allow the Emmalyn Pierre led New National Party (NNP) back into the seat of governance after just one term in office.

The ruling NDC has never in the history of Grenada’s politics won two consecutive terms in office and has been in opposition more than they have been in government. The NNP has been in government more than they have been in opposition and will know when the results are known, if they will be spending an historic two terms in opposition. The NNP has known power and political office for just over 22years as a sitting government under the staunch leadership of prime minister Keith Claudius Mitchell. Polling stations opened at 6:00 a.m. sharp and are scheduled to close at 5:00 p.m.

CHALLENGES

The people of Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique will decide today if they will give the NDC a chance to make history or if they will bring the NNP back into government after just one term in opposition. If she is successful at the end of the November 5th poll, the NNP’s Emmalyn Pierre will become Grenada’s first woman prime minister.

That’s the challenge the people of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique have in this November 5th, 2026 very crucial vote. Whether to elect it’s first female prime minister or whether to give the youthful Dickon Mitchell led NDC a second term in office after a 22year reign of power by the NNP.

Another real challenge is the St. Mark constituency. A seat held by the NNP for decades. 40 years of a succesful hold on that seat. Can the NDC’s Caris Degannes, former school principal of the St. Mark secondary School, break the NNP hold or will the NNP’s Dr. Mayanna Charles keep the NNP’s legacy hold on that seat? Will the citizens of this constituency opt for change with their votes? All eyes are on St. Mark. Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell who himself wa seen as an awesome political hit in 2022 when he was called to save the NDC from political demise. He was a bright spark that attracted Grenadians of all ages, swarming him for photo ops. The younger Mitchell as they called him and who  was quite a sensation; was the flame that put out the NNP and it’s long-standing leader, Keith Mitchell. The November 5th election results will also test the younger Mitchell’s popularity with the people of St. Mark’s and see if his still new burning flame in the politics of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique will help the NDC break the NNP’s hold on St. Mark, where he pushed hard during campaigning for the people of St. Mark to embrace his NDC candidate, Caris Degannes.

St. George North West

Former PM Keith Mitchell’s hold on the St. George North West seat is another challenge for the PM Dickon Mitchell’s NDC to conquer. Almost three decades stranglehold Keith Mitchell has had on that seat since becoming leader of the NNP in the 80’s. What makes his reality a different one to the case of St. Mark is that he has been a sitting PM. All eyes are also on the St. George North West seat now that former PM Keith Mitchell has hung up his hat and endorsed Adrianne Joseph as the replacement candidate. Joseph will do battle with the NDC’s former school principal, Nigel Degale.

ISSUES

Both parties rallied on issues pertaining to affordable housing, access to edcation for everyone, affordable food prices, and utility bills, key amongst  the issues. Those issues were pushed in pro party candidate soca songs, and touted in mass rallies across all seven parishes on the Caribbean island.

There is also new kid on the block, the Democratic People’s Movement (DPM) led by veteran politician Peter David, an attorney-at-law who enjoyed success in the two major parties of the NDC and NNP. David won the seat of the Town of St. George, first under an NDC ticket and later, under an NNP ticket. Just to be clear, the DPM is a new party led by a seasoned and charismatic politician in Peter David whose popularity cannot be questioned.

Political fallout with the former PM Tillman Thomas led NDC saw David crossed over into the NNP. Political fallout with the Keith Mitchell’s NNP saw David form his own party, the DPM.

The November 5th election result will reveal whether or not the flamboyant David can hold on to the Town of St. George seat as a third force contesting 9 of the 15 seats in this 2026 election race. Or, will David just create an upset for the NNP more than the NDC or the NDC more than the NNP? Maybe the election results will tell all. Two independent candidates are also making a bid in this general election to try and enter the corridors of power. There are 15 seats in Grenada’s House of Parliament.

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