| Country: | Grenada |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 1995 Grenadian general election |
| Previous Year: | 1995 |
| Election Date: | 18 January 1999 |
| Next Election: | 2003 Grenadian general election |
| Next Year: | 2003 |
| Seats For Election: | All 15 seats in the House of Representatives |
| Majority Seats: | 8 |
| Turnout: | 56.54% |
| Image1: | Keith Mitchell.jpg |
| Leader1: | Keith Mitchell |
| Party1: | New National Party (Grenada) |
| Last Election1: | 32.37%, 8 seats |
| Seats1: | 15 |
| Seat Change1: | 7 |
| Popular Vote1: | 25,896 |
| Percentage1: | 62.47% |
| Swing1: | 30.10pp |
| Prime Minister | |
| Before Election: | Keith Mitchell |
| Before Party: | New National Party (Grenada) |
| After Election: | Keith Mitchell |
| After Party: | New National Party (Grenada) |
General elections were held in Grenada on 18 January 1999.[1] The governing New National Party of Prime Minister Keith Mitchell was re-elected after winning all 15 seats. Voter turnout was 56.5%.[2]
The last election in 1995 saw the then-governing National Democratic Congress defeated by the New National Party, which won 8 of the 15 seats.[3] However, the New National Party lost their majority in late 1998, after the Foreign Minister Raphael Fletcher was one of 2 ministers to quit the party accusing the government of corruption.[4] [5] As a result, Parliament was dissolved 18 months before the end of its term on 2 December 1998,[5] and on 14 December the election date of 18 January was announced.[6]
48 candidates stood in the election, including 2 independents, for the 15 seats which were elected by first-past-the-post.[6] Candidates included a full 15 candidates from the New National Party, 12 from the National Democratic Congress and 9 from the Grenada United Labour Party.[6]
The governing New National Party of Prime Minister Keith Mitchell campaigned on pledges to preserve stability and bring about economic growth.[7] Mitchell said that his government would create jobs by increased spending on infrastructure and by attracting foreign investment.[6]
Meanwhile, the opposition, comprising a loose alliance between the National Democratic Congress and the Grenada United Labour Party, attacked the government for corruption.[7] They alleged that there had been issues with the awarding of contracts and that the Prime Minister had been involved with foreign investors with shady backgrounds.[7] The opposition also said the government was not doing enough for health care,[6] and they in particular attacked a decision to build a stadium instead of a hospital.[7] However, the opposition suffered divisions, with disagreement between the two opposition parties over who should become Prime Minister if they won the election.[7]
The results saw the governing New National Party re-elected after winning all 15 seats contested.[8] Among the victorious candidates for the governing party was the Prime Minister Keith Mitchell, who won his own seat of St George's Northwest with 89% of the vote.[5] This was only the second time since independence a government had been re-elected in Grenada, and the first since 1976.[6] [9]
The government's record in attracting investment and increasing economic growth was seen as having gained support for the New National Party, while the opposition said that the six-week campaign had been too short for them to prepare for the election.[5] Election monitors from the Organisation of American States observed the election and said that it had been "free and fair".[6]