PJ Patterson

THE People's National Party (PNP) widened its lead over the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to nine percentage points, and P J Patterson was a long favourite, ahead of JLP leader Edward Seaga, to keep the job of prime minister of Jamaica, a poll conducted for the Observer by the Stone Organisation between September 28 and October 3 has shown.

The poll also showed that Jamaicans, by a substantial margin, viewed the PNP as the best choice to govern the country after next Wednesday's general elections.

The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent, found that 40.6 per cent of respondents said they would vote for the PNP if an election was called at the time the survey was conducted, compared to 31.6 per cent who said they would cast their vote for the JLP.

When the pollsters asked who voters believed was the person best suited to run the country, 41.1 per cent said Patterson; 21.5 per cent chose Seaga, while 7.7 per cent said Bruce Golding, who late last month returned to the JLP after leaving that party seven years ago.

Based on a sample of 1,206 persons, aged 18 and over, from 40 communities across Jamaica, the poll also found that 48.8 per cent of respondents saw the PNP as the party best suited to run the country, compared to 33.4 per cent who preferred the JLP.

(See Full poll results on the site )

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