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9/18/2012  
Grenada discontinues session of parliament, stalling no-confidence motion against PM

Prime Minister Tillman Thomas has written to the Governor General Sir Carlyle Glean asking that the Parliament be prorogued sixth months early. 
This would effectively allow Thomas to avoid debate on the no-confidence motion which was filed by former Minister of Foreign Affairs in his administration, Karl Hood

The Grenadian Parliament, which opened on March 29 this year, was scheduled to come to an end on March 31 next year, but has not sat since August, shortly after the no-confidence motion was tabled by Hood. 



Thomas’ decision to cut the Parliamentary year means that when the next session begins, the no-confidence motion against him would have fallen off Parliament’s Order Paper and would need to re-tabled if it is ever to be debated. 


The move may buy Thomas time to thwart any attempt by opposition lawmakers and unhappy backbenchers from his party to push through the measure.
A brief statement from Office of the Prime Minister on Monday morning said a date for the commencement of the new session of the eighth Parliament will be announced. 



Hood, who resigned as minister, is one of four MPs of the National Democratic Congress sitting as backbenchers in the House of Representatives. 



There has been widespread speculation that those four backbenchers as well as the four Opposition members would have teamed up to provide the eight-vote majority needed to push through the no-confidence motion. 



Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Mitchell has called for the debate on the motion saying the failure to have it was entirely contrary to the principles and practices of democracy which risks damaging Grenada’s image in the international and regional community. 


Source: jamaicagleaner


 
 
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