KINGSTON, Jamaica — The one-seat margin majority by which the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won the 17th General Election might be “challenging”, but it is not a “constitutional crisis” says former Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

Golding joined editors and reporters at the Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper’s Beechwood Avenue offices in St Andrew today.

According to Golding, his government’s four-margin victory in 2007 was a “nightmare”, and this JLP Government, when sworn in, will require “extraordinary discipline”.

“It is going to be challenging to ministers of government with a one-seat majority, but not a constitutional crisis,” the former prime minister said about the JLP’s 32 seats to the People’s National Party’s (PNP) 31 seats.

“There is no reason a government cannot function with a one-seat majority,” Golding continued.

He said the JLP government will have to exercise “internal discipline”, such as attending Parliament and staying inside Parliament as well as ensuring that they are attentive to the matters that are raised so they can properly exercise their functions.

With the ballot recount for the St Thomas Western constituency still to be completed up to Monday morning, the Electoral Office of Jamaica has declared 32 seats to the JLP and 31 to the PNP.

Anika Richards