by Roxanne Thompson

• Five NDC women secure seats in incoming Parliament
• Two first-time candidates elected in St Andrew North East and St Mark
• Kerryne James increases St John winning margin from 6 votes to 573
• Claudette Joseph wins Town of St George after 3 attempts

Five women representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have secured seats in Grenada’s incoming House of Representatives after the party won 14 of the country’s 15 constituencies in Thursday’s general election.

Claudette Joseph, Delma Thomas, Kerryne James, Niecal Joseph and Caris De Gannes will each represent their respective constituencies, bringing different experiences and backgrounds to the next Parliament. Their election includes two first-time entrants, a former opposition representative who crossed the political divide, a returning minister and a former senator who has now secured an elected seat after three attempts.

For Claudette Joseph, the victory in the Town of St George marks a change in her political position. Having contested the constituency in both the 2018 and 2022 general elections without success, she entered Parliament in June 2022 after being appointed a senator and subsequently served as Attorney-General and Minister for Legal Affairs, Labour and Consumer Affairs. This year, she contested the seat for a third time and defeated former minister Peter David, who was representing the newly formed Democratic People’s Movement (DPM). Joseph received 1,269 votes to David’s 730. Her election means she will move from the Senate to the elected House of Representatives as the constituency’s new parliamentary representative. New National Party (NNP) candidate Joel Noel received 536 votes, and Change for Hope Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique’s (CHGCP) candidate Carole Alexander received 5 votes.

In St Andrew North West, Delma Thomas returns to Parliament after securing another term as the constituency’s representative, this time having contested under the NDC banner. Thomas was first elected in 2013 as a member of the NNP and served as a parliamentarian and minister under the party’s administration. In May 2023, she resigned from the NNP and joined the NDC — but continued representing St Andrew North West in Parliament. Her selection as the NDC’s candidate for the 2026 election followed that political transition. She received 2,242 votes on Thursday, defeating the NNP’s Marcia Francis, who polled 1,457, giving Thomas a majority of 785 votes. The DPM’s candidate Olvine Holas received 39 votes.

Kerryne James also retained her seat in St John, where her latest victory came with a considerably wider margin than in the previous general election. In 2022, James narrowly defeated the NNP’s Alvin Da Breo by just six votes in one of the closest constituency races. Thursday’s election saw her secure 2,540 votes against Da Breo’s 1,967, giving her a majority of 573. The other candidates were Arley Gill of DPM, who received 82 votes, and Geoffrey Preudhomme of the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP), who received 24 votes. James, who served as Minister for Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy in the previous administration, will return to Parliament to represent St John for another term.

Two of the NDC’s other successful candidates will be entering Parliament for the first time. Niecal Joseph, a nurse by profession, won St Andrew North East with 2,171 votes — defeating the NNP’s Kate Lewis-Peters, who received 1,851 votes, while the DPM’s Pamela Williams received 45 votes. Her 320-vote victory ended the NNP’s 42-year hold on the constituency. N Joseph campaigned on issues including community infrastructure, access to opportunities for young people and support for farmers, fishermen and local businesses. Her election brings a new representative to a constituency represented by the NNP since 1984.

Caris De Gannes also secured a first electoral victory, taking St Mark for the NDC. A former principal of St Mark’s Secondary School, De Gannes was selected to contest the constituency after serving in education. She received 1,538 votes, defeating the NNP’s Myanna Charles, who polled 1,277, to win by 261 votes. The result ends the NNP’s uninterrupted representation of St Mark since 1984 and gives the NDC its first elected representative for the constituency in more than four decades. De Gannes now moves from the education sector into elected public office.

Together, the five women will occupy one-third of the 15 elected seats in Grenada’s incoming House of Representatives. Their election brings 2 first-time parliamentarians into the chamber, returns 2 former representatives to Parliament and gives Claudette Joseph her first opportunity to serve as an elected constituency representative. All five will take their seats on the government side of the House, forming the entire female representation elected on the NDC ticket.

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