History

The party was founded by Eric Gairy

Eric Gairy

Sir Eric Matthew Gairy was the first Prime Minister of Grenada, serving from Grenada`s independence in 1974 until his overthrow in a coup by Maurice Bishop in 1979...

 in 1950. It was the only party to contest the first elections

Grenadian general election, 1951

General elections were held in Grenada on 10 October 1951. They were the first held with universal suffrage. Eric Gairy's Grenada United Labour Party won six of the eight seats. However, at this time the Legislative Council had few powers and the role of head of government remained with the...

 held under universal suffrage in 1951, and won six of the eight seats. The 1954 elections

Grenadian general election, 1954

General elections were held in Grenada on 20 September 1954. Although independent candidates received the most votes, Eric Gairy's Grenada United Labour Party won six of the eight seats, as it had done in the 1951 elections. At this time the Legislative Council had few powers...

 saw the same outcome. In the 1957 elections

Grenadian general election, 1957

General elections were held in Grenada on 24 September 1957. Following the introduction of the new Constitution on 21 December 1959 real authority for governing the country was given to a Chief Minister and those from the majority party in the Legislative Council based on the 1957 elections...

 it lost four seats, whilst two other parties, the Grenada National Party

Grenada National Party

-History:The party was founded in 1955 and took its support from the urban middle class and landowners. It first contested national elections in 1957 when it won two of the eight seats, tied with the Grenada United Labour Party and the People's Democratic Movement. Its leader Herbert Blaize became...

 and the People's Democratic Movement

People's Democratic Movement (Grenada)

The People's Democratic Movement was a political party in Grenada. It first contested national elections in 1957, when it was one of three parties to win two seats in the general elections. Despite its success, it did not run in any further elections....

 also won two seats, with the GNP's leader Herbert Blaize

Herbert Blaize

Herbert Augustus Blaize was a Grenadian politician and leader of the Grenada National Party. When Grenada was still a British Crown Colony he served as the first Chief Minister from 1960-61, and again, from 1962-67. He became the first Premier of the autonomous Associated State of Grenada briefly...

 becoming leader of the island.

The party regained power after winning eight of the ten seats in the 1961 elections

Grenadian general election, 1961

General elections were held in Grenada on 27 March 1961. Eric Gairy's Grenada United Labour Party won eight of the ten seats, his wife Cynthia Gairy becoming the first woman to be elected to the legislature. George E.D...

. It lost the 1962 elections

Grenadian general election, 1962

General elections were held in Grenada on 13 September 1962. Herbert Blaize's Grenada National Party won six of the ten seats and Blaize was appointed Chief Minister for the second time...

 to the GNP, before returning to power in the 1967 elections

Grenadian general election, 1967

General elections were held in Grenada on 24 August 1967. The result was a victory for the Grenada United Labour Party, which won seven of the ten seats. Voter turnout was 77.1%.-Results:...

. The party remained in power following the 1972 elections

Grenadian general election, 1972

General elections were held in Grenada on 28 February 1972. The result was a victory for the Grenada United Labour Party, which won 13 of the 15 seats. Voter turnout was 83.5%.-Results:...

, but Gairy's government became increasingly authoritarian, with his secret police (the Mongoose Gang) threatening the opposition. Following the 1976 elections

Grenadian general election, 1976

General elections were held in Grenada on 7 December 1976. The result was a victory for the Grenada United Labour Party of Eric Gairy, which won nine of the 15 seats, whilst the opposition People's Alliance General elections were held in Grenada on 7 December 1976. The result was a victory for the...

, which were branded fraudulent by international observers, Gairy was overthrown in a coup

People's Revolutionary Government

The People's Revolutionary Government was proclaimed on 13 March 1979 after the New Jewel Movement overthrew the government of Grenada in a revolution...

 in 1979.

After democracy was restored, GULP won only a single seat in the 1984 elections

Grenadian general election, 1984

General elections were held in Grenada on 3 December 1984, the first after the invasion that followed two coups. The result was a victory for the New National Party, which won 14 of the 15 seats. Voter turnout was 86.2%.-Results:...

 and has since remained in opposition. It formed an alliance with United Labour for the 1999 elections

Grenadian general election, 1999

General elections were held in Grenada on 18 January 1999. The governing New National Party of Prime Minister Keith Mitchell was re-elected after winning all 15 seats. Voter turnout was 56.5%.-Background:...

, in which it lost parliamentary representation for the first time since 1951. However, it regained a seat when Michael Baptiste of the ruling New National Party

New National Party (Grenada)

The New National Party is a conservative political party in Grenada. It is led by the Leader of the Opposition, Keith Mitchell.The party was founded in August 1984 through the merger of the Grenada National Party, led by Herbert Blaize, the National Democratic Party, led by George Brizan, and the...

 defected to GULP in June 2000.

Gloria Payne Banfield was elected as GULP leader in February 2003, becoming Grenada's first female party leader. In the general elections the party won 3.2% of the vote but again failed to win a seat. For the 2008 elections

Grenadian general election, 2008

A general election was held in Grenada on 8 July 2008.Out of a total of fifteen seats, the opposition National Democratic Congress won eleven seats and the governing New National Party won four seats, thus bringing the NDC to power for the first time since 1995...

 it formed an alliance with the People's Labour Movement

People's Labour Movement

The People's Labour Movement is a political party in Grenada founded by Francis Alexis.At the 2003 elections, the party won 2.2% of the popular vote and no seats. For the July 2008 election, it formed a coalition with the Grenada United Labour Party; the United Labour Platform fielded 11 candidates...

named the Labour Platform. The alliance fielded 11 candidates for the 15 seats, but received only 478 votes and no seats.