General election set for September 3 - Holness

Jamaicans will head to the polls on September 3 to decide who will lead the country for the next five years.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness made the long-anticipated announcement at a mass rally in Half-Way Tree, on Sunday evening, calling on voters to 'Choose Jamaica' and grant the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.

Nomination Day has been set for August 18.

Public opinion polls suggest the race to control Jamaica House will be a tight one.

The JLP, which currently controls 49 of the 63 seats in Parliament, is campaigning on a platform of continued economic growth, expanded infrastructure, and stronger crime management. Holness pointed to his administration's record of fiscal discipline, highlighting reductions in public debt and the country's economic resilience during turbulent global conditions.

He promised even greater investment in education, health care, housing, water and road infrastructure, and the implementation of a rural school bus system aimed at improving access and safety for students.

Meanwhile, the opposition People's National Party (PNP), which holds 14 seats, is pushing for a new direction under its 'Time Come' campaign. The party, wracked by public divisions over the last decade, now projects unity. It has cited its 2024 local government election performance as proof it is regaining credibility with Jamaicans.

The PNP is prioritising economic inclusion, greater access to housing, especially for young, middle-income persons, and reforms in healthcare and education.

PNP President Mark Golding has positioned himself as a champion of the marginalized, arguing that Jamaica needs a government that puts the people at the centre and uplifts the vulnerable.

The PNP is pledging to construct 50,000 affordable homes, offer a $500,000 deposit grant to young prospective homeowners, and implement a range of social support measures, such as expanded school meal programmes, academic interventions in low-income areas, and full university scholarships for the first person in each family to matriculate.

"We are seeking a mandate from the people, and we want to do so on the basis, not only of the failing and inadequacy of this government, but because of the promise that we are bringing to the people," Golding said at a recent rally in Brown's Town, St Ann.

He added: "The party has a powerful set of policies and programmes that will uplift Jamaica and take Jamaica forward in a real way."

The PNP has also taken aim at the Prime Minister's unresolved income declarations to the Integrity Commission, which have remained uncertified since 2021. The party has emphasised its leader's "clean hands and pure heart" while criticising the JLP for what it describes as a pattern of corruption under its leadership.

But the JLP insists that Jamaica is on the right track, launching its 'Choose Jamaica' campaign to highlight achievements in economic recovery and national development, particularly in infrastructure build-out, a more than 40 per cent cut in murders year-on-year; unemployment at a record low of 3.3 per cent, and poverty cuts.

"In just a decade, we have transformed Jamaica from the brink of economic collapse into the strongest economy since our Independence. We have conquered the challenges of macroeconomic stability and debt reduction - hard-fought victories that have freed us from the cycle of crisis after crisis," Holness said during his 2025 Budget Debate speech in March.

He added: "It is now time for us to build on the strong foundation that we have created to focus on generating robust growth that will deliver more opportunities for all Jamaicans to pursue their God-given talents and fulfil their dreams and aspirations."

At a party meeting in Clarendon South Eastern in May, Holness noted that his administration will focus on the "local economy". ""We a go fix yuh local economy so that you can live, work, do your business, raise your family, and experience your own prosperity right here in your community," he said.

According to the Electoral Office of Jamaica, 2,077,799 people are eligible to vote in the upcoming general election. A party needs at least 32 seats in the 63-seat House of Representatives to form the government.

This year's contest is expected to come down to about 20 swing seats, with key battlegrounds in the western parishes of St James, Westmoreland, Hanover, and St Elizabeth, as well as Manchester, Clarendon, and St Catherine in central Jamaica.

Since gaining universal adult suffrage in 1944, Jamaica has held 18 general elections. Both parties have won nine times.

The JLP secured victories in 1944, 1949, 1962, 1967, 1980 and 1983, 2007, 2016 and 2020.

The PNP did not contest the 1983 elections, and thereafter won four straight elections starting in 1989, then in 1993, 1997 and 2002. The PNP again won 2011. It also won elections 1955, 1959, 1972, and 1976.

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