Andrew Holness, 43, who leads the opposition Jamaican Labour Party, briefly served as prime minister in 2011 after unrest due to the USA attempt to extradite drug kingpin Christopher “Dudus” Coke forced his predecessor to resign Holness has criticized the government’s austerity and promised steep income tax cuts he says will boost the economy’s still sluggish growth. Those measures have become a key campaign issue as the opposition Labour Party has pledged to cut taxes.
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Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller of the People’s National Party.
The Labourites will now form Jamaica’s new Government, after the People’s National Party only managed to win 30 constituency seats.
Andrew Holness will be retaking the reins of power in the neighbouring country of Jamaica after his party claimed victory following Thursday’s general election and in light of the early results.
Karl Angell of the Jamaica Observer meanwhile looks in depth at the island’s the individual winners, who are likely to play a significant role in the country’s political future.
“This victory shows the strength of the Jamaican democracy”, said Holness.
The prime minister of Jamaica fought to keep her job Thursday as voters chose a new Parliament amid high crime and unemployment in the largest English-speaking country in the Caribbean.
Despite predictions in many quarters that the PNP and Simpson-Miller were headed for another term, the opposition Jamaica Labour Party managed to take the win, claiming 33 of the 63 seats in the elections. Holness will be sworn in as Jamaica’s next prime minister. If the economy can grow 2.1 percent this year, in line with the International Monetary Fund’s forecast, that would be the fastest growth in a decade.
Pollsters reportedly predicted a turnout of 58 percent from among the country’s 1.8 million voters.
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“I’m voting for change”, Velma Johnson said as she waited to cast her ballot. “Wages are frozen and there’s a lot of arrogance about this government”.
