The Jamaican Electioons

The seventeenth Jamaica General Elections were held on February 25,2016. It resulted in the Jamaica Labor Party (J.L.P) winning thirty two (32) seats in the country's house of representatives. The People's National Party (P.N.P) won thirty one (31). These results are subject to a final count and maybe magisterial re-counts. Prior to the elections the P.N.P had forty two seats to the J.L.P's twenty one. Most pollsters gave the J.L.P no chance and some went as far as to predict a near wipe out of the party. The election was for the most part violence free. It also witnessed one of the lowest turnouts in election history in Jamaica. Jamaica's first general election took place in 1944. It is one of the tightest seat counts in the history of elections in Jamaica. Barring any unforseen  circumstances Andrew Holness will be sworn in as Prime Minister and Portia Simpson as Leader of the Opposition. Incidentally it will be their second stint in those roles. Did you know that Norman Manley and Hugh Shearer are the only two party leaders in independent Jamaica not to have tasted the sweet smell of victory. Manley lost to Bustamante in 1962 and to Donald Sangster in 1967. Shearer lost to Michael Manley in 1972.

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