Jamaica Labour Party Sweeps Majority in Local Government Elections

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) emerged victorious in the recent local government elections, securing the majority of municipal corporations across the country. Following the final ballot count conducted by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), the Jamaica Labour Party claimed victory in seven parishes, including Portland, St. Thomas, St. Elizabeth, St. James, Trelawny, St. Ann, and Clarendon. Meanwhile, the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) prevailed in five parishes, namely St. Mary, Hanover, Westmoreland, Manchester, and St. Catherine.

A notable tie occurred in the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), where both the PNP and JLP secured 20 divisions each. However, due to winning the popular vote in the KSAMC, the PNP holds the prerogative to select the next mayor of Kingston, while the JLP will appoint the deputy mayor.

The Electoral Office of Jamaica continues to classify Portmore as part of the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation, a tradition maintained since Portmore attained municipality status in 2003. In the mayoral race for Portmore, the PNP emerged victorious.

Overall, the PNP clinched the majority of the 228 electoral divisions nationwide and also secured the popular vote, garnering over 312,000 votes. Meanwhile, the JLP received over 289,000 votes in the electoral tally.