General elections were held in Montserrat on 8 September 2009, two years earlier than constitutionally necessary. The Movement for Change and Prosperity (MCAP) gained a parliamentary majority with six of the nine seats, while the outgoing Chief Minister, Lowell Lewis (formerly of the Montserrat Democratic Party but campaigning as an independent), and two other independents won the other seats. Reuben Meade of the MCAP was sworn in as Chief Minister on 10 September 2009.[1]