Prime Minister Andrew Holness has reportedly declared that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has officially entered full campaign mode, as the party gears up for a general election expected in the coming months.
According to a Jamaica Gleaner report, Holness made the announcement during a closed-door strategy meeting on Tuesday at the party’s Belmont Road headquarters in St. Andrew. The gathering brought together the full slate of prospective candidates and served as a pivotal moment in the party’s election preparations.
Sources say Holness told candidates that the pre-campaign phase was over and that the party is now in “full operational readiness.” He reportedly assessed the preparedness of individual candidates, reviewed campaign strategies, and emphasized the need for stepped-up public engagement in the weeks ahead. The meeting also included guidance on coordination and mobilization aimed at securing an unprecedented third consecutive term for the JLP.
While no election date has been announced, speculation is growing that Holness could call polls ahead of the constitutional deadline.
Under Jamaica’s Constitution, Parliament automatically dissolves five years after its first sitting following the last general election—in this case, by September 2025. Elections must then be held within three months of that date, but the political norm has been to hold elections before the full term expires.
Despite the legal window stretching to December 2025, all signs point to a sooner-than-later election call.
The JLP has intensified its islandwide outreach in recent weeks, holding spot meetings, community tours, and targeted constituency engagements. The party has promoted what it calls a strong record of governance, highlighting historically low levels of poverty and unemployment, crime reduction, and major infrastructure upgrades.
“The Jamaica Labour Party has fixed the national economy,” Holness told supporters during a party event in Clarendon South Eastern in May. He pointed to projects like the new highway and town center in St. Thomas as examples of how the JLP is delivering tangible improvements to Jamaicans.
In the 2020 general election, the JLP secured a commanding 49 of 63 parliamentary seats, with the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) taking 14. As the country braces for its next trip to the polls, the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) has added more than 24,000 names to the voters’ list, pushing the total number of registered voters past the two million mark.
