Jamaica - Politics
Jamaica's political system is stable. However, the country's serious economic problems have exacerbated social problems and have become the subject of political debate. High unemployment - averaging about 15% - rampant underemployment, growing debt, and high interest rates are the most serious economic problems. Violent crime is a serious problem, particularly in Kingston.
For health reasons, Michael Manley stepped down as Prime Minister in March 1992 and was replaced by P.J. Patterson. The main opposition party, the People's National Party (PNP), held office from February 1989 to September 2007, under Prime Minister P J Patterson for an unprecedented four terms between 1992 and 2006. Patterson led the PNP to victory in general elections in 1993, 1997, and in October 2002. The 2002 victory marked the first time any Jamaican political party had won four consecutive general elections since the introduction of universal suffrage in 1944.
After a violent campaign, the general election in October 2002 was largely free of violence. In a closer-fought contest than in 1997, the People’s National Party (PNP) won an unprecedented fourth successive victory with 34 seats and 52.2 per cent of the votes and P J Patterson was returned as Prime Minister. The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) took the remaining 26 seats.
Following his return to the JLP in 2002 (he had left the JLP in 1995 to found and lead the National Democratic Movement), in 2005 Bruce Golding succeeded the party’s veteran leader Edward Seaga as party leader; Seaga had been leader in government and opposition for 31 years. Professor Kenneth Hall succeeded Sir Howard Felix Cooke as Governor-General in February 2006. Upon Patterson's retirement on March 30, 2006, Portia Simpson Miller became the first female prime minister in Jamaica's history. She left office after her party (PNP) lost to Bruce Golding's JLP in general elections held in September 2007. The JLP last held office from 1980 to 1989. The composition of the lower house of Jamaica's Parliament was 32 JLP and 28 PNP.
In the September 2007 general election, the opposition JLP, led by Golding, won a narrow victory with 32 seats and 50.1 per cent of votes, while PNP took 28 seats and 49.8 per cent. There was a 60 percent turnout. Golding was sworn in as the new Prime Minister, thereby ending the PNP's 18-year rule. The Jamaican constitution prohibits nationals of non-Commonwealth countries from becoming Members of Parliament (MP). Since the 2007 general election, legal challenges led to the disqualification of three JLP MPs, two of whom subsequently returned to Parliament after winning by-elections. Given the JLP government’s very narrow majority, even temporary disqualification of JLP MPs could bring down the government and force a snap general election.
Dr Patrick Allen succeeded Sir Kenneth Hall as Governor-General on his retirement in February 2009. The Prime Minister survived a no-confidence vote tabled by the PNP and the JLP renewed its support for the Prime Minister. In July 2011, Speaker Delroy Chuck was appointed Justice Minister. Deputy Speaker Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert succeeded him, becoming the second woman in the country to assume the post.
The global economic crisis that started in 2008 continued to affect the country's economy. By 2011, Jamaica's debt had reached nearly US$ 19 billion, or 120 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and the unemployment rate had risen to 12.9 per cent. In a bid to restructure the economy, the JLP Government sold several loss-making State companies. On 25 September 2011 Bruce Golding announced his retirement as JLP leader and Prime Minister, stating that it was the time to make way for new leadership to pursue the economic recovery and transformation programs he had initiated.
In early October 2011 the JLP chose Education Minister Andrew Holness as its new leader and Holness was sworn in as Prime Minister on 23 October. At 39 he was the country’s youngest ever Prime Minister. Later the same month, the Constituency (Boundaries) Order 2011 was gazetted. It created three more single-member constituencies, bringing the total number of members in the House of Representatives to 63. On 8 December, the House of Representatives was dissolved for early elections.
On 4 December 2011, Prime Minister Andrew Holness called parliamentary elections for 29 December, nine months earlier than they were constitutionally due. At stake were 63 seats in the House of Representatives, up from 60. In all, 150 candidates representing five political parties and six independents were vying for seats in 2011. The elections once again saw a duel between the JLP and the PNP, led by former Prime Minister Simpson-Miller.
Prime Minister Holness' JLP ran on the government's record, citing single-digit inflation and stable exchange rates. It pledged to lead Jamaica to developed-country status by 2030. Prime Minister Holness urged voters to give the JLP a new mandate so as to make Jamaica the best place to live, work, do business and raise families in. Ms. Simpson-Miller - who had been the country's first woman Prime Minister in 2006 - accused the JLP of mishandling the economy. She pledged to renegotiate Jamaica's agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) so as to extend its loan repayment period in order to allow the economy to grow. The party also promised an emergency employment program and to open up the electricity market to competition with a view to lowering prices.
The PNP won the early general election of December 2011, securing 42 of the 63 elective seats (increased from 60 since the 2007 election) and 53.0 per cent of the vote; the JLP took the balance of 21 seats and 46.3 per cent. Only some 53 percent of the registered voters cast their vote. PNP leader Portia Simpson Miller was sworn in as Prime Minister for a second time.
Ms. Simpson Miller implemented an austerity plan as part of a $1.27 billion IMF bailout agreement during her time as the country's first woman Prime Minister. Inflation hit a 48-year low during her tenure. During the election campaign, the PNP ran on the government's record, pledging to continue to work for security, progress and development for all. The JLP announced a 10-point plan, focusing on economic growth, job creation and tax reforms.
A peaceful transition of government followed the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) narrow victory over the People’s National Party in national elections on February 25, 2016. The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), led by former Prime Minister Andrew Holness, regained power after four years in opposition, winning the smallest majority in Jamaica's history. After a recount of the vote, the JLP took 32 seats in the 63-member House of Representatives, one more than outgoing Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller's People's National Party (PNP). On 3 March, Mr. Holness was sworn in as the new Prime Minister. Wholesale changes in policies are unlikely and the new administration has pledged to focus on economic growth and job creation while maintaining fiscal prudence and continuing to meet the conditions of its IMF agreement.
The murderous behavior of the Jamaican Constabulary Force against the working-class as documented in the Amnesty International's 2016 report “Waiting in vain - Jamaica: Unlawful police killings and relatives’ long struggle for justice” should was seen by some as evidence that the coercive arm of the state was operating against the people in a similar manner as in the days of slavery. The police might largely come from the working-class but they were serving the interests of a neocolonial order and were the armed guardian of the rich and powerful.
During slavery and colonialism, the political institutions were controlled by the privileged members of society and some said it was the same thing today. The parliament is mostly populated by men and the petite bourgeoisie or middle–class. It was very encouraging to some radicals to see the low level of working-class turnout for the February 2016 national elections. Only 47.7 per cent of Jamaicans went to the general election polls. A mere 30 percent of voters bothered to vote in the November 2016 local government elections, which was the poorest turnout for municipal elections in Jamaica’s electoral history since universal adult suffrage.
In spite of a rising number of COVID-19 cases on the Caribbean island, Jamaicans headed for the polls 03 September 2020. To vote, Jamaicans must wear masks, wash their hands upon entering the polling place and practice physical distancing, whereas patients confirmed with COVID-19 were able to vote between 4 and 5 PM local time, and had to wear face protectors and protective gowns, as well. At 6PM, confirmed cases' contacts, as well as those in quarantine for being suspicious cases, were able to cast their vote.
Many saw these as decisive legislative elections, convoked three weeks earlier by Prime Minister Andrew Holness of the JLP. The Jamaica Labour Party is actually Jamaica's major conservative party under incumbent PM Andrew Holness. Sixty-three seats in Jamaica's parliament were up for grabs, with the progressive People's National Party (PNP) seeking to resume control of the legislature, currently led by the conservative Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). Given the short amont of time to campaign and the COVID-19 quarantine measures, political candidates have created their own promotional music videos uploaded to social media; many Jamaicans, however, feel that politicans are setting a bad example, as is the case with Prime Minister Holness, who deleted a campaign video showing himself amidst a large crowd of supporters after receiving harsh criticisms online.
Fears of election violence, not uncommon throughout Jamaican electoral history, have already materialized during today's vote, as police in the coastal town of Lucea, between the cities of Montego Bay and Negril, have cordoned off an area outside the local polling station after a man was shot and killed by armed assailants.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness' Jamaica Labour Party won a decisive victory in the general election, retaining power by claiming 49 seats compared to the People's National Party's 14 seats in the preliminary tally. The JLP’s victory marked the first time the party had won consecutive elections in more than 50 years.
While the vast majority of Western Jamaica had gone to the JLP, the party has also claimed victories in several Kingston constituencies that, in the past decades have been PNP strongholds. Jamaican political analysts note that JPL's well-financed and methodically structured electoral machinery allowed them to win over young voters and appeal, even if only in word, to the material needs for those living in poverty and suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Facing a severe economic downturn, with empty hotels and beaches, Jamaicans ultimately chose the center-right candidate promising to control spending, keep the central bank independence and adopt a strong pandemic response, as opposed to the center-left candidate, Phillips, who vowed to raise tourism workers' wages, increase health spending and earmark lands for Rastafarian settlements.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness secured a third term 04 September 2025 following a tight race on an island shaken by corruption, inequity and economic concerns. Preliminary results showed that Holness’ Jamaica Labor Party won at least 34 seats, while Mark Golding’s opposition People’s National Party secured at least 29 seats.
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