| Jamaicans went to the polls to elect a new government on 25 February 2016. Caribbean Elections
provides information and current news for voters, students, teachers on the election and the Jamaican electoral process. |
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| Head of State |
Inherited monarchy with a Governor-General appointed by the British Monarch |
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| Head of Government |
Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General |
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| Structure of Parliament |
Bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 21 seats and the House of Representatives with 63 seats. |
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| Electoral Law |
1 January 1900;
Last amendment: 16/01/1989 |
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| Constituencies |
63 single-member constituencies. |
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| 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. |
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| Term of Office |
5 years |
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| 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
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| 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 |
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| Electoral Authority |
Electoral Commission of Jamaica |
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| Last Elections |
25 February 2016 |
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| Next Elections |
February 2021 |
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| Year |
Specific Date |
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Winning Party |
Total
Seats |
Voter
Turnout |
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Party |
% Votes |
Seats |
| 1944 |
Thu, 14 Dec 1944 |
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Jamaica Labour Party |
41.67% |
22 |
32 |
58.38% |
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| 1949 |
Tue, 20 Dec 1949 |
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Jamaica Labour Party |
42.71% |
17 |
32 |
65.16% |
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| 1955 |
Wed, 12 Jan 1955 |
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People's National Party |
50.50% |
18 |
32 |
65.11% |
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| 1959 |
Tue, 28 Jul 1959 |
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People's National Party |
54.79% |
29 |
45 |
66.09% |
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| 1962 |
Tue, 10 Apr 1962 |
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Jamaica Labour Party |
50.04% |
26 |
45 |
72.88% |
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| 1967 |
Tue, 21 Feb 1967 |
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Jamaica Labour Party |
50.65% |
33 |
53 |
82.24% |
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| 1972 |
Tue, 29 Feb 1972 |
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People's National Party |
55.99% |
37 |
53 |
78.88% |
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| 1976 |
Wed, 15 Dec 1976 |
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People's National Party |
56.77% |
47 |
60 |
85.21% |
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| 1980 |
Thu, 30 Oct 1980 |
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Jamaica Labour Party |
58.88% |
51 |
60 |
86.91% |
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| 1983 |
Thu, 15 Dec 1983 |
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Jamaica Labour Party |
89.67% |
60 |
60 |
29.49% |
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| 1989 |
Thu, 9 Feb 1989 |
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People's National Party |
56.60% |
45 |
60 |
78.38% |
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| 1993 |
Tue, 30 Mar 1993 |
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People's National Party |
59.98% |
52 |
60 |
67.35% |
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| 1997 |
Thu, 18 Dec 1997 |
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People's National Party |
56.20% |
50 |
60 |
65.22% |
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| 2002 |
Wed, 16 Oct 2002 |
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People's National Party |
51.81% |
34 |
60 |
59.37% |
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| 2007 |
Mon, 3 Sep 2007 |
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Jamaica Labour Party |
50.27% |
32 |
60 |
61.46% |
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| 2011 |
Thu, 29 Dec 2011 |
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People's National Party |
53.28% |
42 |
63 |
53.26% |
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| 2016 |
Fri, 26 Feb, 2016 |
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Jamaica Labour Party |
50.08% |
32 |
63 |
48.37% |
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| Key |
| JLP = Jamaica Labour Party; PNP = People's National Party; IND = Inpendent candidate; * Incumbent; ** Political Leader |
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Caribbean Elections provides comprehensive information on the electoral process, politics, and citizenship in the Caribbean. This portal includes election data and resources for the public, teachers, students, and researchers. |
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