Freedom in the World 2016 - Grenada

Freedom Status: Free
Aggregate Score: 89
Freedom Rating: 1.5
Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 2

Quick Facts

Capital: Saint George's
Population: 111,000
GDP/capita: $8,295.50
Press Freedom Status: Free
Net Freedom Status: N/A

OVERVIEW

Political Rights: 38 / 40

Civil Liberties: 51 / 60

Politics in 2015 were dominated by the ongoing constitutional reform process, led by a Constitution Reform Advisory Committee (CRAC) whose government-appointed members include representatives from political parties, religious denominations, and other groups. In March 2015, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), withdrew from CRAC, claiming the body's members were pushing through recommendations without NDC input and without undertaking adequate public consultation. In December, over NDC protests that the ruling New National Party (NNP) had hijacked the reform process, six bills developed by the CRAC saw their first reading in the lower house of parliament. Among other things, the bills sought to improve constitutional protections for individual freedoms, to reform electoral bodies, and to implement various reforms to the judicial system and rules governing the functioning of the parliament. A much-delayed referendum on a new charter is set for April 2016.

The NNP won all 15 seats in the lower house in 2013 elections, winning 59 percent of the vote to the NDC's 41 percent. Due to the lack of parliamentary opposition after the elections, the governor-general appointed three former NDC ministers to the upper house.

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people face significant societal discrimination in Grenada. Same-sex sexual activity between men is prohibited by criminal law and can carry jail sentences of as long as 10 years. Grenadian representatives at an April 2015 meeting of a UN human rights review committee stated that there was little public support for writing protections for LGBT people into a draft constitution. However, several civil society groups actively promote LGBT rights; in November 2015, police participated in an LGBT awareness workshop sponsored by one such group.

This country report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2016. For background information on political rights and civil liberties in Grenada, see Freedom in the World 2015.

Scoring Key: X / Y (Z)

X = Score Received
Y = Best Possible Score
Z = Change from Previous Year