Jamaican general election, 2016

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Jamaican general election, 2016

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All 63 seats in the House of Representatives
32 seats needed for a majority

 First partySecond party
  Andrew Holness cropped.jpg Portia Miller Shoot.Jpeg
Leader Andrew Holness Portia Simpson-Miller
Party JLP PNP
Leader since23 October 201126 February 2006
Leader's seat St Andrew West Central St Andrew South Western
Last election21 seats, 46.6%42 seats, 53.4%
Seats won3231
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 11Decrease2.svg 11
Popular vote437,178433,629
Percentage50.1%49.7%
SwingIncrease2.svg 3.5pp Decrease2.svg 3.7pp

Jamaica general election 2016 - Results by Constituency.svg

Map of result by constituency. Colours denote the winning party, shades indicate the plurality of votes in each constituency. All constituencies are numbered, with labels at the bottom.
Prime Minister before election

Portia Simpson-Miller
PNP

Subsequent Prime Minister

Andrew Holness
JLP

General elections were held in Jamaica on 25 February 2016. The elections were largely a contest between the governing People's National Party (PNP) and the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). The result was a narrow victory for the JLP, which won 32 of the 63 seats. One political commentator described the poll as "the closest election Jamaica has ever had". [1]

Jamaica Country in the Caribbean

Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the fourth-largest island country in the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about 145 kilometres (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres (119 mi) west of Hispaniola.

Peoples National Party Jamaican political party

The People's National Party (PNP) is a social-democratic political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by activist Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 30 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives, as well as a majority of local government bodies, with 151 of the 228 divisions. The party is democratic socialist by constitution.

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party, the JLP is actually a conservative party. However, it has longstanding ties to the Jamaican labour movement.

Contents

The JLP's share of the vote was the lowest for a winning party since 1962, when the JLP won 50.0% of the vote, and its resulting majority in the House of Representatives was the narrowest since the 1949 elections. A similarly close election occurred in 2007, in which two seats changed hands on recounts.

Parliament of Jamaica

The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: the Crown, the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives.

Background

Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller announced the date of the general election on 31 January 2016. The nomination date of 9 February 2016 was also announced. [2] The election can be considered as having been called early, as it was constitutionally due between 29 December 2016 (the date in 2011 of the previous general election) and 16 April 2017 (within five years and three months of the date in 2012 of the first sitting of the new Parliament, on 17 January). There is no fixed election date in effect in Jamaica at this time; hence, the choice of election date is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. [3]

Prime Minister of Jamaica Jamaicas head of government

The Prime Minister of Jamaica is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Holness, as leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was sworn in as Prime Minister on 3 March 2016, succeeding People's National Party (PNP) leader Portia Simpson-Miller. This was a result of the JLP's victory in Jamaica's 25 February 2016 general election.

Portia Simpson-Miller politician

Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller,, is a Jamaican politician. She served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2006 to September 2007 and again from 5 January 2012 to 3 March 2016. She was the leader of the People's National Party from 2006 to 2017 and the Leader of the Opposition twice, from 2007 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017.

The Constitution of Jamaica is the constitution and highest law of Jamaica.

Electoral system

The 63 members of the House of Representatives are elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting. [4] The Representation of the People Act permits the candidacy of voters above the age of 21. Any Commonwealth citizen residing in Jamaica can vote in the election if they are older than 18 years. [5] To be included on the ballot, a nomination must include the signatures of at least ten eligible voters from the same constituency. The nomination form must then be submitted during a four-hour period on nomination day. [6]

Constituencies of Jamaica Wikimedia list article

Jamaica's fourteen parishes are subdivided into sixty-three constituencies. The country follows the Westminster system and elects sixty-three Members of Parliament (MPs) to the Jamaica House of Representatives.

First-past-the-post voting voting system in which voters select one candidate, and the candidate who receives more votes than any other candidate wins

A first-past-the-post electoral system is one in which voters indicate on a ballot the candidate of their choice, and the candidate who receives the most votes wins. This is sometimes described as winner takes all. First-past-the-post voting is a plurality voting method. FPTP is a common, but not universal, feature of electoral systems with single-member electoral divisions, and is practiced in close to one third of countries. Notable examples include Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as most of their current or former colonies and protectorates.

In general, a Commonwealth citizen is a citizen of a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations. This designation is given legal effect in the nationality laws of some Commonwealth countries, and Commonwealth citizens may enjoy some privileges in the United Kingdom and, less commonly, other member states. Each Commonwealth country determines what special rights, if any, are accorded to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. The status is most significant in British law and has little effect in many other Commonwealth countries, such as Canada.

Campaign

A total of 152 candidates registered to contest the elections, with both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP) nominating a candidate in every constituency. [7] Minor parties put forward a small number of candidates, with seven from the National Democratic Movement, six from the Marcus Garvey People's Progressive Party and two from the People's Progressive Party. [8]

National Democratic Movement (Jamaica)

The National Democratic Movement (NDM) is a conservative political party in Jamaica, led by Peter Townsend.

Results

Preliminary results saw the opposition JLP gaining a total of twelve seats, taking a slender three-seat majority over the governing PNP in the House of Representatives. No other parties were elected. Among those elected were Robert Montague, Chairman of the JLP, and Juliet Holness. [9] The voter turnout of 47.7% was the lowest since 1983, the year when the PNP boycotted the election. [10] JLP leader Andrew Holness became Prime Minister-designate, regaining the position he lost to Simpson-Miller after the previous election in 2011. [11]

Robert Montague is a Jamaican politician with the Jamaica Labour Party. He comes from a political family; his father Asquith Nathaniel was a charter member of the JLP. He entered politics in 1990 as a councillor for Carron Hall, Saint Mary Parish. He later became the mayor of Port Maria. In 2012, Opposition Leader Andrew Holness named him a member of the Senate of Jamaica. He is now the Minister of National Security in the Andrew Holness-led government after winning the Jamaican general election, 2016.

Juliet Holness Wife of Jamaican prime minister

Juliet Holness is the wife of Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and a Member of the House of Representatives. Holness is a motivational speaker, real estate owner, agent, accountant and writer. She was born and raised in St. Catherine, Jamaica.

Subsequently, however, a recount in the St. Mary South East constituency led to a 127-vote margin in favour of the JLP being overturned and the result being called for the PNP by 9 votes, narrowing the margin in the House to 32–31. The recount in St. Mary South East had also called into question results in St. Ann South West, St. James South, St. Catherine North Eastern, and St. Andrew Eastern, which were decided by similarly narrow margins. [12]

After recounts, the JLP was declared to have the majority in the House of Representatives, with 32 seats to the PNP's 31. The JLP planned to contest the St. Mary South East recount that saw its margin narrow. The final count, as authorised by the Electoral Commission, was announced on 2 March. [13]

PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Jamaica Labour Party 436,97250.0832+11
People's National Party 433,73549.7131–11
Marcus Garvey People's Political Party 2600.0300
National Democratic Movement 2230.0300
People's Progressive Party910.010New
Independents 1,2330.1400
Invalid/blank votes9,875–––
Total882,389100630
Registered voters/turnout1,824,41248.37––
Source: Electoral Commission of Jamaica

Aftermath

The new parliament was convened on 10 March 2016, [14] meaning that constitutionally the next general elections will be due between 25 February 2021 (five years after the date of this election) and 10 June 2021 (within five years and three months of the date of the first sitting of the new Parliament), unless elections are called earlier by the Prime Minister.

A by-election in St. Mary South-East was held on 30 October 2017 following the death of PNP incumbent Winston Green. The seat was won by Norman Dunn of the JLP, [15] giving them a three-seat majority in parliament.

Related Research Articles

1989 Jamaican general election

General elections were held in Jamaica on 9 February 1989. The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 45 of the 60 seats. Voter turnout was 78.4%.

Oswald Gaskell Harding CD, QC, OJ is a former Jamaican politician from the Jamaica Labour Party, and the longest-serving senator in the nation's history. He was born in Kingston. Harding was the first person to serve as President of the Senate of Jamaica for two non-consecutive tenures, serving from 1980 to 1984 and from 2007 to 2011. First appointed to the Senate in 1977, he served in the body continuously until 2002, and rejoined the Senate from 2007 until his retirement from politics in 2011. His first period as a senator was the longest continuous tenure in the body's history.

Andrew Holness Jamaican politician

Andrew Michael Holness, ON, MP is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 25 February 2016 general election. Holness previously served as Prime Minister from October 2011 to January 5, 2012. He succeeded Bruce Golding as Prime Minister, and decided to go to the polls in the 29 December 2011 general election in an attempt to get his own mandate from the Jamaican electorate. He failed in that bid, however, losing badly to the People's National Party led by Portia Simpson-Miller, with the PNP gaining 42 seats to the Jamaica Labour Party's 21. Following that defeat, Holness served as Leader of the Opposition from January 2012 to March 2016, when he once again assumed the position of Prime Minister.

Dr. Christopher Tufton is a Jamaican politician. A member of the governing Jamaica Labour Party, and Jamaica's current Minister of Health. He previously served as the Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce from July 2011 to December 2011, having previously served as the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries since 2007. Tufton served as the Member of Parliament for parliamentary constituency St. Elizabeth South Western from 2007 up until his defeat in 2011. In 2016 Tufton won the St. Catherine West Central seat against the PNP's Clinton Clarke and thus being returned to the Lower House.

Pearnel Charles is a Jamaican politician with the Jamaica Labour Party. As of March 10, 2016, he holds the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives. He served as the Minister of Labour and Social Security in Jamaica between 2007 and 2012.

Desmond Gregory Mair is a Jamaican Labour Party (JLP) member of the Parliament of Jamaica representing the Saint Catherine North East constituency.

Kenneth Wykeham McNeill, MD, MP, CD is a Jamaican politician, serving as the Member of Parliament for Westmoreland West, Jamaica. He is a former government minister. He was the Minister of Tourism of Jamaica from 2012-2016. He was elected the first vice chair of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization representing Jamaica in 2012 and elected chairman of the Executive council for the 2014-2015 period. McNeill was elected a Vice President of The People's National Party at the Party's annual conference in September 2016.

Sharon Hay-Webster is a Jamaican politician. She was a member of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Jamaica from 1997 to 2012, representing the People's National Party. She came to international attention after the 2004 Haitian coup d'état, when she escorted Jean-Bertrand Aristide from his temporary exile in the Central African Republic to Jamaica at the invitation of then-Prime Minister of Jamaica P. J. Patterson.

2011 Jamaican general election

The 2011 Jamaican general election was held on 29 December 2011 in Jamaica. The election was contested mainly between the nation's two major political parties, the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), led by Andrew Holness, and the Portia Simpson-Miller-led opposition People's National Party (PNP). The result was a landslide victory for the PNP which won 42 of the 63 seats, a two-thirds majority.

Shahine Elizabeth Fakhourie Robinson is a Jamaica Labour Party politician, currently serving as the Minister of Labour and Social Security. She is a member of the Parliament of Jamaica for North East Saint Ann. She served briefly as the Transport and Works Minister from late November 2011 to January 2012.

Ian Dave Hayles is a Jamaican politician with the People's National Party. He has been a Member of the Parliament of Jamaica since 2007, and State Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries since 2012.

Clifford Everald Errol Warmington is a Jamaican politician with the Jamaica Labour Party. He has represented the South West Saint Catherine constituency in the Parliament of Jamaica since 2002.

Patrece Charles-Freeman is a Jamaican public and environmental health consultant, as well as a political candidate with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

Fenton Rudyard Ferguson is a Jamaican politician with the People's National Party. He has served as Jamaica's Minister of labour and social security under Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller since 2012. Outside politics he is a dental surgeon by profession. Dr.Fenton ferguson was moved from his post to labour and social security following a comment he made..Fenton Ferguson is the MP for St.Thomas his opponent in 2016 is Mr. Delano Seiveright. His infamous quote was that the babies who have died as a result of the klebsiella bacteria outbreak in 2015 at Victoria Jubilee Hospital are “not babies in the real sense”during his tenure as Minister of Health when many premature babies died from that bacteria.(3)

Derrick Austin Rochester, O.J. was a Jamaican politician, trade unionist, and member of the People's National Party (PNP). Rochester served as a member of the House of Representatives for South East St Elizabeth from 1972 to 1980 and a member of the Senate from 1980 to 1983. He then returned to House of Representatives as an MP from South East St Elizabeth from 1989 until his retirement in 2002. A trade unionist who focused on worker negotiations and the country's bauxite industry, Rochester also served as the President of the National Workers Union (NWU) from 1989 to 1993, as well as the NWU island supervisor from 1986 to 1983.

Republicanism in Jamaica

Republicanism in Jamaica is a position which advocates that Jamaica's system of government be changed from a constitutional monarchy to a republic. Both major political parties – the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party – subscribe to the position, and the current Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, has announced that transitioning to a republic will be a priority of his government.

References

  1. ↑ "PM, JLP, political ombudsman remind J'cans that recount is normal process - News". The Jamaica Observer . Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Luton, Daraine (31 January 2016). "Breaking News: Election Day Is February 25". Jamaica Gleaner . Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Anderson-Brown, Winnie (7 July 2007). "Issue: Time for fixed election date". Jamaica Gleaner . Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "Jamaica (House of Representatives) Electoral System". Inter-Parliamentary Union . Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "The Representation of The People Act" (PDF). Ministry of Justice . Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Nomination Day: How Does It Work?". diGJamaica . Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "Nomination day highlights". The Jamaica Observer . 11 February 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Serju, Christopher (16 February 2016). "Independents Unite To Unseat PNP, JLP". Jamaica Gleaner . Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  9. ↑ Spaulding, Gary (26 February 2016). "Ja goes green - JLP prosperity message trumps ruling party". Jamaica Gleaner . Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "Youth tell why they abstained". The Jamaica Observer . 28 February 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  11. ↑ Kebede, Rebekah (26 February 2016). "Jamaica's opposition wins general election as voters tire of austerity". Reuters . Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Official ballots count not completed, but 32 seats declared to JLP, 31 PNP". Jamaica Gleaner . Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Final Counting of Ballots for General Election 2016". Electoral Commission of Jamaica . Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  14. ↑ Prime Minister’s Address at Opening of the New Session of Parliament Office of the Prime Minister
  15. ↑ By-Election 2017: JLP's Dunn wins St Mary SE seat Jamaica Observer, 30 October 2017
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