Andrew Holness leads Jamaica Labour party to third term

Jamaicans have voted to give Andrew Holness and the Jamaica Labour party (JLP) a third consecutive term in government after a nail-biting race with the opposition People’s National party (PNP).

Holness beat PNP’s Mark Golding after polls in the final days of the intense campaign projected a narrow lead for the PNP. Of the 63 seats being contested, preliminary results showed the JLP winning 34 seats and the PNP 29.

In his victory speech, Holness promised to continue delivering for the country. He said: “In our second term we created a momentum. We are on the right path, heading in the right direction with the right trajectory. That should not be broken and the Jamaican people share that view and therefore we will continue to use the momentum to accelerate the development of our country.”

The JLP rode to victory after a strong performance during their previous two terms. Under Holness’s leadership, Jamaica has improved its economy and significantly reduced crime. The World Bank has praised “significant strides” in reducing public debt, from more than 140% of GDP in 2013 to 73.4% in the financial year 2023-2024, and the economy is expected to grow by 1.7% this year.

There has been a drastic reduction in crime under the JLP, with a 43% drop in killings so far this year, marking the most significant decline in decades. The improvement is largely credited to the current administration’s increase in firearm seizures and a stronger, coordinated security force presence across the Caribbean island.

The prime minister was also able to convince voters that he could be trusted after the PNP put the spotlight on concerns raised by the national anti-corruption body, the integrity commission, about his income and assets declarations and recommended further investigation by the financial investigations division, a specialised unit within the finance ministry.

The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing, gaining permission from the supreme court to challenge the report which he branded unlawful and unfair.

Defending himself during a debate with the opposition a few days before the election, he said: “I have been investigated, for a year, with an expert forensic auditor. The findings of that report have suggested no corruption. There have been no charges. Every aspect of my report, every aspect of my personal life and my personal financial details are in the public domain.”

In his victory speech he thanked voters for standing by him. “Make no mistake about it, this was not victory by default.

Make no mistake about it, this was not an easy victory. Make no mistake about it, this was a fight. But, my political organisation, we did not descend to the gutter to fight,” he said, adding that his party “proved that we can run a decent campaign and win”.

Conceding defeat, Golding said to supporters: “It’s my duty as a believer in democracy to acknowledge and concede the result and to congratulate our opponents, the Jamaica Labour party, for their victory tonight.

“Jamaica’s democracy is important and we must cherish it. Sometimes it brings bitter disappointments. Sometimes those disappointments are laced with a tinge of a sense that not all is fair and just, but it is very, very important that we put democracy ahead of all of those feelings and I accept the result of these elections.”