ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Oct 5, CMC -Leader of the main opposition New National Party (NNP), Emmalin Pierre, Monday challenged Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell to a national debate ahead of the November 5 general election in Grenada.
Mitchell on Sunday night said that his ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is confident of being returned to office, with the general election coming nearly one year ahead of the constitutional deadline of October 2027.
“You understand that we are about service…and that we are asking you humbly and respectfully to continue with the team that is the National Democratic Congress to make sure that you, me, us are ready for more and ready to take Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique forward,” Mitchell told supporters at a rally in St. Marks on Sunday night reminding them that from today “it’s boots, boots, boots, boots on the ground”.
But in a broadcast posted on Facebook, Pierre, the first woman to lead the party into a general election after its founder Dr. Keith Mitchell bowed out of active politics after 42 years, said the NNP will run “a clean campaign. Watch video
“We will debate the issues, present our vision, and give the people of Grenada the respect that they deserve. At the same time, I want to be clear that I do not come to you asking for preferential treatment because I’m a woman. I ask you to judge me on the strength of my policies and programmes. The strength of the team that is supporting me.
“That is why today, I want to challenge the outgoing Prime Minister to a fair and independently organised national debate. And I want to say to you that I will lay the cards on the table to show that the record of performance over the last four years has been found wanting.
“I believe Grenada needs a different kind of leadership. Leadership that cares. Leadership that understands that behind every policy is a person,” Pierre said.
Pierre, 51, said that if she is given the privilege of serving as prime minister “I will never forget that government is ultimately about people.
“I will lead with compassion, with humility, and with a genuine concern for the well-being of every Grenadian. I commit to you this. I will be a prime minister who listens. Not only when there is an election. Not only when the cameras are present. And not only when people agree with me. But I won’t just listen. It is time for action.”
The mother of two, who holds a Master’s Degree in Business Management, said that Grenadians must asked themselves whether or not they are better off four later after the NDC won the June 2023 general election when it defeated the NNP, the only party in Grenada’s political history to have won all 15 seats in the Parliament on three occasions.
“I believe Grenada stands at such a moment, the time is upon us, the moment is now, and the choice before us is not simply about who will govern, but about what kind of country we are prepared to build, what opportunities we are prepared to create, and what future we will leave for the generation that comes next.
“This election is therefore a moment of consequence, a moment to look beyond personalities and politics and ask what our people truly deserve. Our families deserve better, our young people deserve better, our communities deserve better, and Grenada obviously deserves better.
“So the question before each of us is simply, when history looks back at this moment, what will we say we chose to do?” she said, adding that as she travels across the country “I hear the same concern again and again.
“Life is becoming harder, and too many Grenadians are just struggling simply to make ends meet. The cost of food, rent, utilities, transportation, and other basic necessities continue to put enormous pressure on families, while wages too often fail to keep pace.”
She said parents are working harder but finding it even harder to provide.
“Young people are wondering how they will afford a home or to build a future. Seniors are being forced to stretch every dollar just to cover the basics. And while families are making difficult choices at the supermarket, at the gas pump, with electricity and water bills, and around the kitchen table, just too many Grenadians feel that opportunities are being reserved for a select few, those with the right connection or political affiliation.”
Pierre said that this is not the Grenada “we should accept” adding “that is not the Grenada that I know. But for the last four years, only the chosen few have benefited from this government.
“Sadly, they have run nothing, nothing more than a friends and family affair. So let me be very clear. Every Grenadian who works hard, play by the rules, and contribute to this country deserves a fair chance to get ahead.
“I have made a commitment to you. No matter your social or economic class, religious or political affiliation, I will be a Prime Minister for every citizen of Grenada-Carriacou and Petite Martinique,” she said, adding “our mission is clear and critical.
“To ensure that Grenadians have more money in their pockets, more room to breathe, and more left over after paying the bills and meeting the rising cost of everyday life,” Pierre said, adding that “this election matters, because the outgoing government and their members of parliament haven’t delivered on their promises.
“Too many have broken their promises. So, on election day, I ask you to make your voice count. When you enter that polling booth, remember what you have heard, remember what you have experienced and remember the kind of representation you deserve.”
Download video – Leader of the New National Party (NNP) Emmalin Pierre
CMC/jg/ir/2026