Senator Delano Seiveright has officially thrown his hat into the ring to represent the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the key constituency of St Andrew North Central for the next general election, which is expected by September.
In a Good Friday statement, Seiveright, who currently serves as a junior minister in the Ministry of Tourism, said his bid for the seat is rooted in decades of grassroots work within the JLP. “This journey is not about seeking a position but about partnership, unity, and delivering meaningful results,” he said. “I am stepping forward not out of entitlement or expectation, but out of a genuine desire to contribute, to serve, and to help take North Central St Andrew to the next level.”
The seat is currently held by long-serving MP Karl Samuda, who is not expected to seek re-election. Samuda, 83, is the joint-longest serving parliamentarian in Jamaican history, having first entered the House in 1980. While Samuda initially expressed surprise at JLP General Secretary Dr. Horace Chang’s public announcement of his departure, Seiveright said Samuda has since given him his full endorsement. Seiveright also praised Samuda’s wife, Pauline, for her behind-the-scenes role as a key constituency administrator.
Seiveright’s entry sets up what could be a high-profile internal contest. His perceived main challenger is attorney Christian Tavares-Finson, son of Senate President and JLP stalwart Tom Tavares-Finson.
The senator’s political stock has been rising quickly. After serving nearly nine years as a senior adviser in the tourism ministry, he was appointed to the Senate in February 2025 and named a junior minister just weeks later — moves that fueled speculation about his political ambitions and the party’s succession planning in key constituencies.
Seiveright emphasized that his candidacy is a product of “much reflection [and] honest dialogue” with constituents, whose encouragement, he said, played a major role in his decision. A past student of Calabar High School and resident of the area, he was also unanimously elected vice chairman of the constituency last November.
The former president of Generation 2000, the JLP’s youth affiliate, Seiveright has long been known as a firebrand in party circles, credited with helping energize the party’s base ahead of its return to power in 2007.
Throughout his announcement, Seiveright made a point to highlight loyalty to the JLP and Prime Minister Andrew Holness. “I am committed to supporting him and the mission of the JLP as we move forward,” he said.
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