Grenada election to proceed after High Court rejects legal challenge
Key Points(5)
- Grenada's general election will proceed as scheduled Thursday after the High Court rejected a legal challenge seeking to prevent the vote from taking place.
- High Court Judge Justice Agnes Actie ruled Thursday morning that Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell acted constitutionally when he advised the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament, clearing the way for voters to elect a new government.
- The case was brought by Cajeton Hood against Mitchell, the Supervisor of Elections and the Attorney-General.
- Hood had sought to prevent the prime minister from advising the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament and to stop the general election.
- Parliament was dissolved on October 2, with the Governor-General setting November 5 as the election date.
Grenada's general election will proceed as scheduled Thursday after the High Court rejected a legal challenge seeking to prevent the vote from taking place.
High Court Judge Justice Agnes Actie ruled Thursday morning that Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell acted constitutionally when he advised the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament, clearing the way for voters to elect a new government.
The case was brought by Cajeton Hood against Mitchell, the Supervisor of Elections and the Attorney-General. Hood had sought to prevent the prime minister from advising the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament and to stop the general election.
Parliament was dissolved on October 2, with the Governor-General setting November 5 as the election date.
In rejecting the claim, Actie said the prime minister had acted in accordance with the Constitution and the law. She also pointed to the settled legal position that once Parliament is dissolved and the election process begins, challenges concerning the general election must be brought through an election petition after the vote.
Hood represented himself in the proceedings. Mitchell and the Attorney-General were represented by the Office of the Attorney-General, Dr. Francis Alexis KC, Ruggles Ferguson KC and Ian Sandy. The Supervisor of Elections was represented by Darshan Ramdhani KC and Sabrita Khan-Ramdhani.
The ruling comes as Grenadians head to the polls to elect all 15 members of the House of Representatives. A total of 46 candidates are contesting the seats across Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Mitchell's governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) is seeking a second consecutive term, facing the main opposition New National Party (NNP), led by Emmalin Pierre, and the Democratic People's Movement (DPM), led by Peter David.
The NDC won nine seats in the 2022 general election, while the NNP secured six. Pierre, who succeeded former Prime Minister Keith Mitchell as party leader in 2024, is the first woman to lead the NNP into a general election.
A party needs at least eight seats to secure a majority in the House of Representatives and form the government.
The High Court's decision means the legal challenge will not delay Thursday's vote. Any further challenge concerning the election itself would have to be pursued through the election petition process after the results are declared.
