ST. GEORGE'S Grenada AP Opponents of Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell have demanded he call new elections in the wake of defections that have crippled his party. Mitchell's foreign minister and former health minister switched to the opposition Grenada United Labor Party on Sunday robbing his New National Party of its majority in the House of Representatives. Reynold Benjamin a former secretary general of Mitchell's party said Tuesday the prime minister should ``do the honorable thing'' and ask Governor General Sir Daniel Williams to dissolve parliament. ``If he goes to parliament he will be at the mercy of the opposition members if they can stand together as a bloc'' Benjamin said. Benjamin resigned from the New National Party in 1992 because of differences with Mitchell. The country's fiscal year ends next month meaning a flurry of budget work will need to be done. ``The right thing to do is to get out and give someone else a chance'' said constitutional lawyer Robert Grant who joined Benjamin on a local news program. ``I do hope our prime minister will realize this and call an election and get a mandate if he dares to rule this country again.'' Mitchell's party saw its 9-6 majority reversed to an 8-7 split in favor of the opposition when foreign minister Raphael Fletcher and former health minister Grace Duncan switched allegiances. Duncan had been fired from the cabinet in 1997 because of clashes with Mitchell and Fletcher said he was unhappy with how the prime minister was handling a government audit. Mitchell himself came to power through a similar political coup in 1989 when he abruptly withdrew support for an ally former prime minister Herbert Blaize during a party convention. Blaize led the government for a short period with a minority government and died within months of the defeat. After Mitchell's switch Blaize warned his former ally that ``what goes around comes around.'' APW19981201.0595.txt.body.html APW19981201.0772.txt.body.html