Grenada
- Boundary Delimitation
- Direct Democracy
- Electoral Management
- Electoral Systems
- Legislative Framework
- Media and Elections
- Parties and Candidates
- Vote Counting
- Voter Education
- Voting Operations
- Voter Registration
Boundary Delimitation
BD01 Are constituencies delimited for election purposes?
a. Yes
Comments: Constitution, part 4, article 54: "54. For the purpose of the election of members of the House of Representatives, Grenada shall be divided into such number of constituencies, having such boundaries as may be provided for by an Order made by the Governor-General in accordance with the provisions of section 56 of this Constitution."
Source: Constitution, part 4, article 54
Last updated: 2006-11-30 13:19:05 UTC
BD03 On what criteria are the boundaries drawn?
a. "Equality" of population
g. Other
Comments: Constitution, schedule 2, section 56: "All constituencies shall contain as nearly equal numbers of inhabitants as appears to the Constituency Boundaries Commission to be reasonably practicable, but the Commission may depart from this rule to such extent as it considers expedient to take account of the following factors, that is to say :- the density of population, and in particular the need to ensure the adequate representation of sparsely-populated rural areas ; the means of communication ; geographical features ; the boundaries of administrative areas."
Source: Constitution, schedule 2, section 56:
Last updated: 2006-11-30 13:19:05 UTC
BD05 The body responsible for drawing the boundaries is:
c. Boundary Commission
Comments: Constitution, part 4, article 55 55.-(1) There shall be a Constituency Boundaries Commission for Grenada which shall consist of- the Speaker, as Chairman; two members appointed by the Governor-General, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister; and two members appointed by the Governor-General, acting in accordance with the advice of the Leader of the Opposition.
Source: Constitution, part 4, article 55
Last updated: 2006-11-30 13:19:05 UTC
Electoral Management
EM01 Please provide the following contact information for the national electoral management body:
a. Name of Institution Supervisor of Elections
Last updated: 2006-11-30 12:49:58 UTC
EM02 Does this national electoral body have the responsibility for elections at:
a. National level
c. Local level
Comments: Constitution, article 35: "35.-(1) There shall be a Supervisor of Elections whose duty it shall be to exercise general supervision over the registration of voters in elections of the members of the House of Representatives and over the conduct of such elections. ... (7) The Supervisor of Elections shall exercise such other functions in relation to elections (whether to the House of Representatives or to local government authorities) as may be prescribed by or under any law enacted by Parliament. "
Source: Constitution, article 35
Last updated: 2006-11-30 12:57:55 UTC
EM03 The national electoral management body reports to:
d. A national government department
Comments: d) The supervisor of Elections shall report to the minister responsible for matters related to elections. Constitution, article 35: "(5) The Supervisor of Elections may, whenever he considers it necessary or expedient so to do, report to the House of Representatives on the exercise of his functions under the foregoing provisions of this section ; he shall submit every such report to the Minister for the time being responsible for matters relating to the election of members of the House of Representatives and that Minister shall, not later than seven days after the House first meets after he has received the report, lay it before the House."
Source: Constitution, article 35
Last updated: 2006-11-30 12:57:55 UTC
EM08 According to official sources, what was the estimated overall cost (in US dollars if available) of the most recent national elections?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 12:49:58 UTC
EM09 What was the total number of registered voters or, where there was no voter roll, the estimated number of eligible voters?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 12:49:58 UTC
Electoral Systems
Legislative Framework
LF01 What is the status of the electoral law governing national elections?
a. Part of Constitution
b. Separate legislation
Source: Constitution, part 1 - section 29-35, part 3 - section 53 Electoral law of 1958
Last updated: 2006-11-30 12:47:46 UTC
LF03 The national electoral law covers:
a. National elections
Source: Electoral law of 1958, part 6, article 23
Last updated: 2006-11-30 12:43:38 UTC
LF04 Is voting on the national level voluntary or compulsory?
a. Voting is voluntary
Source: International IDEA Voter Turnout Website (http://www.idea.int/vt/)
Last updated: 2006-11-21 18:55:24 UTC
LF07 What are the agency(ies) responsible for first level of formal electoral disputes?
a. Judiciary
Comments: a) Supreme Court Article 76 of the Electoral law: "76. A petition of an undue return or undue election of a member of the House of Representatives in this Ordinance called an election petition may be presented to the Supreme Court by any one or more of the following persons, that is to say--- (1) some person who voted or had a right to vote at the election to which the petition relates; (2) some person claiming to have had a right to be returned at such election; (3) some person alleging himself to have been a candidate at such election. "
Source: Electoral law of 1958, part 7, article 76
Last updated: 2006-11-30 12:47:46 UTC
Media and Elections
ME01 Please provide information about the person completing the questionnaire.
Last updated: 2006-06-02 20:58:38 UTC
ME11 What laws, if any, guarantee freedom of access to public information for representatives of the media?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME13 What are the laws, if any, which govern the operations of the public broadcaster?
Specify the date of the latest version (including latest amendments)
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME18 What are the laws, if any, that provide for the safeguards for editorial autonomy in relation to the public broadcaster(s)?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME19 What are the laws, if any, which govern the granting of broadcasting licenses/frequencies to private broadcasters?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME22 What are the legal conditions, if any, under which the activities of a media outlet may be suspended?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME37 What are the criteria for allocating free broadcast time and/or free printed advertisement space to political parties?
h. Not applicable
Comments: There are no free broadcast time or free printed advertisement space allocated to political parties.
Source: International IDEA (2003) "Funding of Political Parties and Election Campaigns"
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME38 What, if any, is the maximum amount that a political party is permitted to spend on paid advertising during a campaign period?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME55 What, if any, is the maximum amount that a presidential candidate is permitted to spend on paid advertising?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME56 What are the laws, if any, which govern the disclosure of campaign advertising expenditures by political parties and candidates?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME57 What, if any, is the maximum amount that a media outlet can charge parties/candidates for advertising during the campaign?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
ME58 How does this maximum amount (identified in question C.15.1) affect the political participation of smaller or newly formed parties?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 14:00:50 UTC
Parties and Candidates
PC01 What are the registration requirements for political parties running for national elections (Chamber 1)?
g. Not applicable
Comments: No provisions in law regarding the registration of political parties in order to participate in the elections of the House or representatives.
Source: IFE 2006.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:23:16 UTC
PC02 What are the registration requirements for political parties running for national elections (Chamber 2)?
g. Not applicable
Source: IFE 2006.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:23:16 UTC
PC03 What are the legal qualifications to become a candidate at legislative elections (Chamber 1)?
a. Age
b. Citizenship
d. Residence
j. Other
Comments: The citizenship refers to the Commonwealth; the residence in Grenada for a period of twelve months immediately before the date of his nomination for election or is domiciled and resident in Grenada at that date and the candidate should be able to speak and, unless incapacitated by blindness or other physical cause, to read the English language with sufficient proficiency to enable him to take an active part in the proceedings of the House.
Source: Constitution 30.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:23:16 UTC
PC04 What are the legal qualifications to become a candidate at legislative elections (Chamber 2)?
a. Age
b. Citizenship
d. Residence
j. Other
Comments: Senators are appointed, not elected. In any case, they should meet the same requirements that candidates for the House of Representatives, including age, citizenship, residences, as well as to be able to speak and read the English language.
Source: Constitution 25.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:23:16 UTC
PC05 What are the legal qualifications for becoming a candidate at presidential elections?
k. Not applicable
Source: IFE 2006.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:23:16 UTC
PC08 Can independent candidates compete in presidential or legislative elections?
c. In legislative elections (Chamber 1)
Comments: In fact, it is not required to be member or nominated by a political party in order to become a candidate for House of Assembly.
Source: Electoral Law 26.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:23:16 UTC
PC12 Do political parties receive direct/indirect public funding?
a. No
Comments: No provisions in law regarding any kind of public funding to political parties.
Source: IFE 2006.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:23:16 UTC
Vote Counting
VC04 Following the close of the voting, where are the votes first sorted and counted?
a. At the polling stations
Source: Electoral Law 50.
Last updated: 2006-05-30 22:27:39 UTC
VC08 How are the initial/preliminary polling results transmitted and communicated to the different levels?
a. Physically transported
Comments: To the correspondant returning officer (district level). The returning officer may specially appoint one or more persons for the purpose of collecting the ballot boxes from a given number of polling stations.
Source: Electoral Law 50:10.
Last updated: 2006-05-30 22:27:39 UTC
VC11 Under what conditions are ballots recounted?
b. Always recounted
Comments: The final count (not necessarily a recount in the strict sense), is realized by the returning officer once he has received the ballot boxes from all polling stations of the constituency.
Source: Electoral Law 52.
Last updated: 2006-05-30 22:30:07 UTC
Voting Operations
VO03 Where can electors vote?
a. At a specified polling station in the locality where they are registered at national elections
Source: Electoral Law 38.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:24:08 UTC
VO04 Who can vote from outside the country?
a. Outside the country voting is not permitted
Source: IFE 2006.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:24:08 UTC
VO05 If voting outside the country is permitted, at what places?
g. Not applicable
Source: IFE 2006.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:24:08 UTC
VO10 Is there a maximum allowable voter capacity of a polling station for the national elections?
Last updated: 2006-11-30 13:52:53 UTC
VO11 How do electors cast their votes?
a. By manually marking the ballot
Comments: Electoral law of 1958, article 45: "(3) The elector on receiving the ballot paper shall forthwith enter one of the polling compartments and there mark his ballot paper by marking with a black lead pencil and not otherwise a cross or any other mark within the space containing the name of the candidate for whom he intends to vote, so as to indicate clearly the candidate for whom he intends to vote, and he shall then fold the ballot paper as directed so that the initials and the numbers on the counterfoil can be seen without opening it. When the ballot is not so folded the presiding officer shall require the elector to fold the ballot as required by this subsection." "
Source: Electoral law of 1958, article 45
Last updated: 2006-11-30 13:52:53 UTC
VO12 How many staff are assigned to each polling station?
a. The smallest polling station: One presiding officer and one poll clerk.
b. The largest polling station: One presiding officer and one poll clerk.
c. Average per polling station: One presiding officer and one poll clerk.
Source: Electoral Law 20 and 21.
Last updated: 2006-05-31 17:24:08 UTC
Voter Registration
VR01 What is the legal voting age in the national elections?
c. 18
Source: Constitution, article 32
Last updated: 2006-11-30 13:38:29 UTC
VR02 Beyond age, what other qualifications exist for registering to vote and voting in the national elections?
a. Citizenship
b. Period of Residence
Comments: a) Commonwealth citizenship Constitution, article 32: "32.-(1) Each of the constituencies into which Grenada is divided in accordance with the provisions of section 56 of this Constitution shall return one member to the House of Representatives who shall be directly elected in such manner as may, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, be prescribed by or under any law. (2) Every Commonwealth citizen who has attained the prescribed age and who possesses such qualifications relating to residence or domicile in Grenada as Parliament may prescribe shall, unless he is disqualified by Parliament from registration as a voter for the purposes of elections of members of the House of Representatives, be entitled to be registered as such a voter under any law in that behalf, and no other person may be so registered. Every person who is registered as aforesaid in any constituency shall, unless he is disqualified by Parliament from voting in that constituency in any election of members of the House of Representatives, be so entitled to vote, in accordance with the provisions of any law in that behalf, and no other person may so vote. The prescribed age for the purposes of this subsection shall be the age of eighteen years."
Source: Constitution, article 32
Last updated: 2006-11-30 13:38:29 UTC
VR04 Which is the authority responsible for the registration of voters for national elections?
d. Election Management Body (specify)
Comments: d) The supervisor of Elections. Constitution, article 35: "35.-(1) There shall be a Supervisor of Elections whose duty it shall be to exercise general supervision over the registration of voters in elections of the members of the House of Representatives and over the conduct of such elections."
Source: Constitution, article 35
Last updated: 2006-11-30 13:38:29 UTC
VR08 Is it compulsory to be on the voters register?
b. No
Comments: But in order to be able to vote, voters should be included in the electoral register and their name should appear in the official list of electors for that polling division.
Source: Maria Gratschew, Voter turnout project, International IDEA and Electoral Law: 38.
Last updated: 2006-05-30 20:43:38 UTC
May 20, 2008 07:19 AM
