Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness secured a third term early Thursday (September 4, 2025) following a tight race on an island shaken by corruption, inequity and financial issues.
Preliminary outcomes confirmed that Mr. Holness’ Jamaica Labour Party received at the very least 34 seats, whereas Mark Golding’s Opposition People’s National Party secured at the very least 29 seats.
Mr. Golding conceded the election in a temporary speech, saying he was dissatisfied within the end result as he acknowledged the success of his opponent.
“This is not an easy speech to make,” he stated.
Also collaborating in Wednesday’s common elections have been the Jamaica Progressive Party, the United Independents’ Congress and 9 impartial candidates looking for a seat in varied constituencies.
Official voter turnout was simply 38.8%, solely barely greater than the turnout for the 2020 elections throughout the pandemic. Just over 2 million registered voters are eligible to forged their ballots on the island of two.8 million individuals.
A complete of 63 seats are up for grabs in Jamaica’s House of Representatives. The chief of the get together that wins a majority turns into the island’s subsequent prime minister.
The new chief will then appoint 13 of 21 senators to Jamaica’s higher chamber of Parliament, and the opposition will select eight others.
Concerns regardless of drop in crime
Under Mr. Holness, Jamaica has seen a 43% drop in killings up to now this 12 months, marking probably the most vital decline in a long time. The enchancment is basically credited to the present administration’s improve in firearm seizures and a stronger, coordinated safety pressure presence throughout the Caribbean island.
The Jamaica Labour Party campaigned on this tangible success, positioning itself as the federal government that pulled the island again from the brink of widespread violence.
While crime statistics have improved, the shadow of Jamaica’s violent previous nonetheless lingers. The measures taken by the present authorities, together with implementing states of emergency in sure areas, have drawn each help and criticism.
The personal sector and lots of Jamaicans have praised the effectiveness of such measures, with the variety of killings dropping by as a lot as 70 per cent in some areas, just like the vacationer parish of St. James.
However, human rights organisations have raised issues concerning the use and potential abuse of such measures, highlighting alleged unlawful detentions, as they name for balanced approaches to defend safety and civil liberties.
The Jamaica Labour Party additionally emphasised fiscal accountability, a low unemployment charge and the significance of continuity as it urged voters not to threat reversing the progress achieved up to now.
A pledge comes underneath hearth
On Sunday, Mr. Holness pledged that his get together would double the present minimal wage of $100 per 40-hour workweek if reelected.
“We believe in growing the economy so that everyone gets a bigger slice. As the economy expands, we must ensure those at the bottom are rewarded fairly, while creating incentives for more Jamaicans, especially our youth, to join the labour force,” he stated at a current rally.
But his pledge drew criticism from teams representing varied enterprise sectors.
“Tourism accounts for approximately one-third of Jamaica’s gross domestic product and is one of the country’s largest employers,” the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association stated.
“Any shifts in wage policy will therefore have wide-ranging implications for the sector, including employment levels, competitiveness and the affordability of the Jamaican tourism product.”
Tired of the circumstances’
The People’s National Party, or PNP, had adopted a sharper, extra essential tone earlier than the election. It asserted that whereas progress has been made, many Jamaicans nonetheless really feel the pinch of socioeconomic challenges, together with poverty, insufficient infrastructure and lingering pockets of crime and corruption.
“There are a lot of frustrated people tired of the conditions in which they live,” Golding advised reporters as he voted on Wednesday.
The get together aimed to channel public discontent into a mandate for change, promising reforms, renewed social investments and a break from what it calls “complacency” in governance.
Key among the many get together’s raft of coverage proposals to tackle the socioeconomic woes of Jamaicans is rising the earnings tax threshold to $21,800, up from the present $11,200. The opposition get together says it needs working-class Jamaicans to take dwelling extra money as a cushion in opposition to rising costs.
Despite Jamaica’s vibrant democratic custom, current years have seen a decline in ballot participation.
