Grenada Plans Referendum on New Constitution, Accession to CCJ

Above: Grenada

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Grenada plans to hold a referendum on a new constitution next year, according to Governor General Dame Cecile La Grenade.

Among those issues that could be considered include the “structure and composition” of Parliament, potential accession to Caribbean Court of Justice as Grenada’s final court of appeal and “other relevant issues,” according to La Grenade.

Grenada currently sends its final appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the United Kingdom.

La Grenade, who was delivering the Throne Speech on Friday, said the referendum would be a “defining moment in our Nationhood and an opportunity which must be fully grasped by all citizens.”

Next year will be the 40th anniversary of Grenada’s independence from Great Britain. The country achieved independence on Feb. 7, 1974.

“Forty years signify growing maturity and a coming of age,” she said. “It is therefore right and proper that our nation considers the type of constitution that should guide our development for the next 40 years and beyond.”

The Governor General did not elaborate on what changes might be proposed to the structure of Parliament.