Since independence on 7 February 1974, Grenada's head of government has changed ten times. Some came through landslide elections, one through an armed takeover, one through a death in office and one through an interim council appointed after a foreign intervention. Two leaders shared the surname Mitchell without being related, which confuses many newcomers.
This timeline lists each head of government in order, with how they came to power and why they left. It sticks to documented facts and avoids judgement of individual records, which remain politically contested. Dates are given to the year, and to the month where it helps.
1974 to 1984: independence, revolution and interim rule
Sir Eric Gairy (1974 to March 1979). Leader of the Grenada United Labour Party, Gairy had been Premier of the associated state since 1967 and became the first Prime Minister at independence. His GULP won the 1976 election with nine of fifteen seats. He was removed from power on 13 March 1979, when the New Jewel Movement seized control while he was abroad. He returned to Grenada in 1984 and contested elections again, but never regained office.
Maurice Bishop (March 1979 to October 1983). Leader of the New Jewel Movement and Prime Minister of the People's Revolutionary Government, which governed without elections under People's Laws. A split in the party leadership led to his house arrest in October 1983, and he was killed at Fort Rupert on 19 October 1983.
Interim Advisory Council (late 1983 to December 1984). After the intervention of 25 October 1983, Governor-General Sir Paul Scoon appointed an advisory council chaired by Nicholas Brathwaite to administer the country. It was not an elected government and its main task was to prepare for elections.
1984 to 1995: the post-revolution governments
Herbert Blaize (December 1984 to December 1989). A veteran politician who had served as Chief Minister in the 1960s, Blaize led the newly formed New National Party to a fourteen-of-fifteen victory in December 1984. The NNP later split; Keith Mitchell won the party leadership in 1989, and Blaize formed a new party, The National Party. Blaize died in office in December 1989.
Ben Jones (December 1989 to March 1990). Appointed Prime Minister after Blaize's death, Jones led the government until the general election a few months later.
Sir Nicholas Brathwaite (March 1990 to February 1995). Brathwaite, who had chaired the interim council, returned as leader of the National Democratic Congress, which formed a government after the March 1990 election. His government commuted the death sentences of the Grenada 17 in 1991. He stepped down as Prime Minister in February 1995.
George Brizan (February to June 1995). Brizan succeeded Brathwaite as NDC leader and Prime Minister, serving until the June 1995 election, which the NDC lost.
1995 to today: the Mitchell era and its successors
Keith Mitchell (June 1995 to July 2008). A mathematician by training, Mitchell led the NNP to victory in 1995 and won again in 1999, taking all fifteen seats, and narrowly in 2003, by eight seats to seven. His government managed the recovery from Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The NNP lost the 2008 election.
Tillman Thomas (July 2008 to February 2013). Leader of the NDC, Thomas won the 2008 election with eleven seats. His government renamed the Point Salines airport after Maurice Bishop in 2009. Internal divisions in the NDC preceded a heavy defeat in February 2013.
Keith Mitchell (February 2013 to June 2022). Mitchell returned to office with another fifteen-seat sweep in 2013 and repeated it in 2018. His combined time in office made him Grenada's longest-serving Prime Minister. His government held the constitutional referendums of 2016 and 2018. The NNP lost the June 2022 election.
Dickon Mitchell (from June 2022). A lawyer who became NDC leader in 2021, Dickon Mitchell led the party to a nine-to-six victory on 23 June 2022 and became Prime Minister. He is not related to Keith Mitchell. He advised the dissolution of Parliament on 2 October 2026, with a general election called for 5 November 2026.
Patterns across fifty years
Three patterns stand out. First, Grenadian politics has been dominated by two parties since the late 1980s: the New National Party, founded in 1984, and the National Democratic Congress, founded in 1987. Gairy's GULP, dominant from 1951 to 1979, faded after his return and never won another general election. Smaller parties have contested elections, but none has won a seat in recent decades.
Second, the electoral system produces large swings in seats. Three general elections, in 1999, 2013 and 2018, produced a Parliament with no elected opposition members, which raised questions about accountability and led to the proposal, rejected in 2016, to guarantee an opposition leader. Third, governments have changed hands peacefully through elections every time since 1984, a record often cited when the country is compared internationally.
A further pattern is the importance of individual leaders. Party loyalty in Grenada is strong, but the personality and reputation of the leader often shape campaigns, and parties have repeatedly split over leadership questions, as the NNP did in 1989 and the NDC experienced in the early 2010s.
Common points of confusion
The two Mitchells cause the most confusion. Keith Mitchell led the NNP and served as Prime Minister from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. Dickon Mitchell leads the NDC and became Prime Minister in 2022. They come from rival parties and are not related.
Another frequent error is to describe Maurice Bishop as an elected Prime Minister. He was elected as an MP in 1976 and became Leader of the Opposition, but he became Prime Minister through the 1979 takeover, and his government never held a national election. Equally, Nicholas Brathwaite's role in 1983 to 1984 was as chairman of an appointed council, not as Prime Minister; he became Prime Minister only after the 1990 election.
Finally, people sometimes assume the Prime Minister must come from St George's. Grenada's leaders have represented constituencies across the country, including St George's, St Andrew's, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and the north. Herbert Blaize, for example, represented Carriacou and Petite Martinique for decades.
The main parties at a glance
Grenada United Labour Party (GULP). Founded by Eric Gairy in 1950 to 1951 on the back of the labour movement. Dominant from 1951 to 1979, with a break in the early 1960s. After 1984 it won only a handful of seats and has not formed a government since.
New National Party (NNP). Formed in 1984 from a merger of Herbert Blaize's Grenada National Party and other groups opposed to both Gairy and the revolution. Led by Keith Mitchell from 1989 until after the 2022 defeat, it won the elections of 1984, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2013 and 2018. Emmalin Pierre became its leader after Mitchell, and is the first woman to lead the party into a general election.
National Democratic Congress (NDC). Founded in 1987 by politicians who left the NNP, including George Brizan. It won the elections of 1990, 2008 and 2022.
Smaller parties. Many smaller parties have contested elections, including parties formed by former members of the larger ones. A new party led by former minister Peter David was expected to contest the 2026 election.
General election dates since independence
Elections are a convenient way to anchor the timeline, because most changes of government since 1984 have followed a general election, and the exceptions, in 1989 and 1995, came from a death in office and a change of party leader. All were contested for fifteen seats:
- December 1976: GULP 9, People's Alliance 6.
- No elections from 1979 to 1984 during the People's Revolutionary Government and the interim period.
- 3 December 1984: NNP 14, GULP 1.
- March 1990: NDC largest party; forms government under Nicholas Brathwaite.
- June 1995: NNP wins; Keith Mitchell becomes Prime Minister.
- 1999, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018 and 2022: covered in the timeline above.
- 5 November 2026: general election called after the dissolution of Parliament on 2 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Grenada's first Prime Minister?
Sir Eric Gairy, leader of the Grenada United Labour Party, was the first Prime Minister of independent Grenada from 7 February 1974. He had been Premier of the associated state since 1967. He was removed by the New Jewel Movement's takeover on 13 March 1979.
Who is the longest-serving Prime Minister of Grenada?
Keith Mitchell of the New National Party is the longest-serving, with two periods in office, from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022, totalling more than two decades. He won five general elections, including three clean sweeps of all fifteen seats.
Are Keith Mitchell and Dickon Mitchell related?
No. Keith Mitchell led the New National Party and Dickon Mitchell leads the National Democratic Congress. They are political rivals who happen to share a surname, which is a common source of confusion for people following Grenadian politics from abroad.
Which Prime Minister died in office?
Herbert Blaize died in office in December 1989. He had led the New National Party to victory in 1984 but later lost the party leadership and formed The National Party. Ben Jones succeeded him as Prime Minister until the 1990 election.
Was Maurice Bishop an elected Prime Minister?
Bishop was elected to Parliament in 1976 and served as Leader of the Opposition. He became Prime Minister through the New Jewel Movement's seizure of power in March 1979. The People's Revolutionary Government did not hold national elections during its time in office.
