Jamaican PM Holness wins third term in fractious election

According to preliminary results from Jamaica’s contentious parliamentary election, prime minister Andrew Holness has won a third term in office.

In the early hours of Thursday, Holness’ Jamaica Labour Party’s results revealed that the party had won at least 34 seats in the previous day’s vote. 29 of the 63 seats in parliament were occupied by the ruling party’s main rival, the People’s National Party.

In an election marred by allegations of corruption and low voter turnout, the opposition party’s leader Mark Golding conceded defeat.

Make no mistake about it, Holness told supporters shortly after declaring victory, according to the Jamaica Observer.

He stated in a post on X that his “historic third term” was “a win for you, the people” as opposed to just a win for his party.

Golding addressed the situation briefly, acknowledging the success of his rival and saying he was disappointed by the outcome.

Despite having a vibrant democratic tradition, polls have decreased in Jamaica recently.

Only 38.8% of voters turned out for the 2020 elections, which took place during the pandemic, on Wednesday.

On the island’s 2. 8 million residents, there were more than 2 million registered voters who could cast their ballots.

The president of Jamaica has the authority to appoint 13 of the country’s top senators to the upper chamber of parliament. The remaining will be decided by the opposition.

With his administration increasing firearm seizures and security presence on the Caribbean island, Holness’ country has seen a 43 percent decrease in killings this year, which is the most significant decline in decades.

The Jamaica Labour Party promoted its position as the government that saved the island from widespread hostilities by leveraging this success.

In addition, it urged voters to avoid risking reversed progress, emphasized fiscal responsibility, low unemployment, and the importance of continuity.

Holness also pledged to double the required $100 per 40-hour workweek for his party.

The opposition had waged a campaign by proposing measures to address socioeconomic issues, such as lowering Jamaica’s current income tax threshold from $11,200 to $ 21,800, and giving more working-class Jamaicans more money to use as a buffer against rising prices.

Additionally, it questioned the prime minister’s statutory declarations of income, assets, and liabilities and accused the ruling party of mismanagement.