Mitchell, Keith Claudius (1946– )

Grenadian centrist politician, prime minister from 1995. He succeeded Herbert Blaize as leader of the right-of-centre New National Party (NNP) in 1989, but the NNP, weakened by the breakaway of the National Party faction led by Ben Jones, met with defeat in 1991. The party was returned to power in 1995 under Mitchell's leadership and was re-elected in 1999 and 2003. As well as serving as prime minister, he held the finance, trade and industry, foreign affairs, national security, and information portfolios. His government was criticized for lack of consultation and faced a united opposition from 1997, and had a majority of only one seat in parliament from 2003.

Born in St George's, Mitchell played cricket for Grenada in the 1960s. Having secured a PhD in mathematics and statistics, through studies at universities in the West Indies and USA, he was appointed professor of mathematics at Howard University, in the USA, from 1977 to 1983. He first entered the Grenada parliament in 1984, shortly after the US invasion of the country. Representing the newly formed centrist NNP, he served as minister of communications and public utilities until 1989.