General elections were held in Grenada on 13 September 1962.Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p307 Herbert Blaize's Grenada National Party won six of the ten elected seats and Blaize was appointed Chief Minister for the second time. Blaize served as Head of Government until the next general election in August 1967, initially as Chief Minister until March 1967, and subsequently when Grenada became a fully internally autonomous Associated State, as Grenada's first Premier. Voter turnout was 73%.Nohlen, p310
Background Grenada's Administrator, the Queens representative on the island, James Lloyd suspended the constitution, dissolved the Legislative Council, and removed Eric Gairy as Chief Minister in April 1962 following allegations concerning the Gairy's financial impropriety. Gairy had been Chief Minister for 10 months since August 1961 and his party the Grenada United Labour Party held a majority in the Legislative Council following the 1961 elections.Herbert Augustus Blaize The Grenada Revolution OnlineSteele, BA (2003) Grenada. A History of its People p360 The negative publicity surrounding the removal of Gairy led to a significant fall in support for GULP.
Campaign The GNP campaigned in favour of a "political and economic alliance" with the newly independent state of Trinidad and Tobago, with Blaize proposing that Grenada enjoy a similar constitutional status to the island of Tobago, with proportional representation in the Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago and possibly guaranteed cabinet representation. Gairy instead supported the federation of the "Little Eight" group of British colonies in the Lesser Antilles, to replace the West Indies Federation which had dissolved earlier in 1962.
Electoral system The Legislative Council consisted of ten elected members, the principal law officer (ex officio) and two nominated members.
Results
References