Caribbean Elections - Jamaica Elections

Overview of Electoral System

Here, we provide an overview of the electoral system in the country. Additional information may be found in the Country Browser.

Head of State	Inherited monarchy with a Governor-General appointed by the British Monarch
Head of Government	Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General
Structure of Parliament	Bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 21 seats and the House of Representatives with 63 seats.
Electoral Law	1 January 1900; Last amendment: 16/01/1989
Constituencies	63 single-member constituencies.
Voting System	In the Senate, 21 members are appointed by the governor-general. In House of Representatives, 63 members are elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term The governor-general appoints members of the Senate on recommendation by the Prime Minister and leader of the opposing party. The ruling party is given 13 seats in the Senate, while the minority party is allotted 8 seats.
Term of Office	5 years
Voter Requirements	- age: 18 years - Jamaican or British Commonwealth citizenship - residency in the country (during 12 months prior to the compilation of the register of electors for British Commonwealth citizens) - disqualifications: insanity, death sentence, imprisonment for 6 months or more, conviction of electoral fraud, persons holding certain offices connected with the elections
Candidate Eligibility and Requirements	Qualified electors - age: 21 years - Jamaican or British Commonwealth citizenship - residency in the country during 12 months immediately preceding the nomination - ineligibility: allegiance to a foreign State, undischarged bankrupts - nomination between 23 and 16 days before elections - support of at least 10 qualifed electors - deposit of $Jam.100 reimbursed if the candidate polls at least 1/8 of the total votes cast
Electoral Authority	Electoral Commission of Jamaica
Last Elections	25 February 2016
Next Elections	February 2021

Political Parties

Here, we provide information on active political parties. A more comprehensive list of political parties may be found in our Knowledge Centre.

Party	Political Leader
Jamaica Labour Party or JLP	Andrew HOLNESS
People's National Party or PNP	Portia SIMPSON-MILLER
National Democratic Movement or NDM	Michael WILLIAMS

Past Elections

Here, we provide links to results of past elections. This list is not all inclusive; we will continue to update the list and encourage you to assist us in filling any observed gaps. Notify us if you think a resource listed here has become deceptive or unfactual.

Year	Specific Date	Election Type	View Results	Source
1944	14 December 1944	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1949	20 December 1949	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1955	12 January 1955	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1959	28 July 1959	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1962	10 April 1962	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1967	21 February 1967	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1972	29 February 1972	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1976	15 December 1976	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1980	30 October 1980	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1983	15 December 1983	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1989	9 February 1989	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1993	30 March 1993	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
1997	18 December 1997	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
2002	16 October 2002	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
2007	3 September 2007	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica
2011	29 December 2011	Parliamentary		Electoral Office of Jamaica

Election Reports

Here, we provide official reports of past elections and reports from election observation missions. This list is not all inclusive; we will continue to update the list and encourage you to suggest other resources you think we should list here. You may also view our collection of Election Observer Reports in our Reading Room.

Year	Report	Download
2015	Preliminary Statement issed by the CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission to the General Elections in Jamaica, 25 February 2016
2015	Preliminary Report of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Jamaica General Election 25 February 2016
2011	Final Report of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission for the General Elections in Jamaica, December 29, 2011
2007	Preliminary Statement issed by the CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission to the General Elections in Jamaica, 3 September 2007
2007	Final Report of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Jamaica General Election 2007
2002	Carter Center Report - 2002 Elections
1997	Carter Center Report - 1997 Elections

Party Manifestos

Here, we provide party manifestos from previous elections. This list is not all inclusive; we will continue to update the list and encourage you to suggest other resources you think we should list here. You may also view our collection of manifestos in our Reading Room.

JAMAICA LABOUR PARTY (JLP)

JLP 2016 Manifesto	JLP 2012 Local Government Manifesto	JLP 2011 Manifesto	JLP 2007 Manifesto

PEOPLE'S NATIONAL PARTY (PNP)

PNP 2016 Manifesto	PNP 2012 Local Government Manifesto	PNP 2011 Manifesto	PNP 2007 Manifesto

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT (NDM)

NDM 2011 Manifesto

MARCUS GARVEY PEOPLE'S POLITICAL PARTY (MGPPP)

MGPPP 2011 Manifesto