ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, Feb 11, CMC – Former foreign affairs minister Karl Hood has publicly endorsed the main opposition New National Party (NNP) as Grenadians prepare to elect a new government on February 19.

Hood, who resigned from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, last year, was the surprise guest speaker at a rally of the NNP here on Sunday.

“I am here not because I resigned but because in all conscience, I do not see the NDC have the ability to govern this country,” said Hood, who had also filed a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Thomas.

“For love of country I am fully prepared to endorse the NNP to rule this country,” said Hood in a 15 minute address to the jubilant crowd gathered at the old Pearls airport and appeared to be in a state of shock as the former senior government minister addressed the NNP meeting.

Hood, the outgoing parliamentary representative for St George South East, said that he must apologize to the electorate for encouraging them to vote for the NDC in the 2008 general election.

He said at the time, he regarded Prime Minister Thomas as the best person to lead the country.

“I stand here tonight and I make my apology. I am sorry to have said such. I stand here in protest against the hypocrisy of (Finance Minister) Nazim Burke, who has called the Prime Minister Clueless and still supports him, this election is about leadership,” he said.

As Hood spoke, the NDC, which was staging its own political rally on the western side of the island, stopped its meeting to broadcast the Hood’s address to the NNP.

Last week, a confident Prime Minister Thomas told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) that Grenadians would return his NDC party, which won 11 of the 15 seats in 2008, back into office, though he refused to say by how many seats.

But the NDC leader said that the first seat to be declared on behalf of the party will be the St George South East constituency that Hood represents.