Plebiscite

ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada-- Grenadians vote today in a return to democracy that the United states and its Caribbean allies hope will not back fire.

The United States is officially neutral in the race for 15 seats in the British-style Parliament, but its obvious preference to win Grenada's first election since 1976 is 66-year-old moderate Herbert Blaize.

The 1976 election was followed by a 1979 leftist coup, a bloody power struggle that resulted in an army takeover and the slaying of leftist Prime Minister Maurice Bishop on Oct. 19, 1983, six days later, there was a U.s. led invasion of the tiny, spice-producing nation.

Opposing Blaize's New National Party are the leftist Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement and the Grenada United Labor Party led by Sir Eric Gairy, winner of seven of the eight elections in Grenada's history.