The results of the general election held on Thursday are in and have now become a part of the country’s history. As with all general elections since the advent of Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944, there were moments to remember and those we would want to forget.

At the time, the statisticians were crunching the numbers with the aim of better understanding why the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won with a 33-30 majority, and naturally, why, a confident People’s National Party (PNP) lost its 42-21 majority from the 2011 election.

The

Sunday Observer shares with its readers some interesting tidbits from the 2016 elections:

ONE PARTY SWEEP

Only one parish was completely swept by one party. The PNP won all three seats in Westmoreland.

THE FIRST TIMERS

There are 14 first-timers who will be shortly sworn in as members of parliament — 11 for the winning JLP and three for the defeated PNP.

The new JLP, Members of Parliament are:

Floyd Green South West St Elizabeth

Fayval Williams St Andrew Eastern

Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn St Andrew West Rural

Juliet Holness St Andrew East Rural

Zavia Mayne St Ann South Western

Norman Dunn St Mary South Eastern

Alando Terrelonge St Catherine East Central

Leslie Campbell St Catherine North Eastern

Marlene Malahoo Forte St James West Central

Heroy Clarke St James Central

Dave Hume-Brown Hanover Eastern

For the PNP the new members are:

Evon Redman St Elizabeth North Eastern

Michael Stewart Manchester Southern

Victor Wright Trelawny Northern

WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT

There are now 11 women in the nation’s Lower House of Parliament.

The JLP tops the list with seven, with the PNP having four.

The seven JLP women in Parliament are:

Fayval Williams St Andrew Eastern

Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn St Andrew West Rural

Juliet Holness St Andrew East Rural

Marlene Malahoo Forte St James West Central

Marisa Dalrymple Philibert Trelawny Southern

Shahine Robinson St Ann North Eastern

Olivia Grange St Catherine Central

The four PNP women in Parliament are:

Portia Simpson Miller St Andrew South Western

Denise Daly St Catherine Eastern

Natalie Neita Headley St Catherine North Central

Lisa Hanna St Ann South Eastern

ELECTION RESULTS OVER THE YEARS

Since the adoption of Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944, there have been 17 general elections.

JLP – Margin of victory

1944 22-5-5 (Note — PNP won 5 seats and Independents 5)

1949 17-13-2 (Note — PNP won 13 seats and Independents 2

1962 26-19

1967 33-20

1980 51-9

1983 (PNP did not contest) 60-0

2007 31-29

2016 33-30

TOTAL 8

PNP – Margin of victory

1955 18-14

1959 29-16

1972 37-16

1976 47-13

1989 45-15

1993 52-8

1997 50-10

2002 34-26

2011 42-21

TOTAL 9

MIKE HENRY CONTINUES TO SERVE

Lester Michael Henry is the longest-serving member of parliament, having won his seat in 10 consecutive elections. Henry won for the first time in the 1976 election and has never lost since. Henry also won in 1980, 1983, 1989, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2007, and now in 2016.

THE ARTICULATED MINORITY SEATS

The JLP won nearly all the seats in the northern belt of St Andrew, described by many as the seat of the articulated minority, with the exception being the victory by the PNP’s Julian Robinson in St Andrew South Eastern. The JLP winners were Delroy Chuck (St Andrew North Eastern), Karl Samuda (St Andrew Central), Derrick Smith (St Andrew North Western), Juliet Cuthbert (St Andrew West Rural), Fayval Williams (St Andrew Eastern) and Juliet Holness (St Andrew East Rural).

THE LARGEST SINGLE MARGIN OF VICTORY

As is usually the case, the largest margin of victory in a single constituency was achieved by Portia Simpson Miller in the St Andrew South Western constituency.

Simpson Milled secured 10,822, while her opponent, Victor Hyde, received 700, a difference of 10,122 votes. Simpson Miller got 93.9 per cent of the vote and Hyde six per cent.