Golding threatens legal action if 2024 local gov’t elections delayed again
KINGSTON, Jamaica – President of the People’s National Party, Mark Golding, has warned that he will be taking the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to court if the local government elections are postponed in February 2024.
The local government elections were postponed for a third time in February 2023 and are slated to be held no later than February 28, 2024.
The postponement was met with heavy backlash from the opposition, who noted that the move was in contradiction to true democracy. The latter was reiterated on the weekend as the party leader spoke to supporters in St Ann’s Bay, St Ann.
According to Golding, the matter will be put before the court and he is confident that the results will not favour the JLP.
“Now let me tell you, if them feel them can extend it again we are going to take them to court and we are going to test the constitutionality of that because if they try it again they would be extending the term of the existing councillors by 100 per cent on spurious grounds and I am very confident that our courts will not allow that to happen because that cannot be consistent with a democratic system of local governance,” he said.
He urged the government to call the elections as soon as possible.
“So I’m warning them no bother try that again. Call the local government election before the time come for the end of this one-year period, which was put in place in February on bogus grounds,” he added
The comments of the party leader were supported by former mayor of St Ann’s Bay Desmond Gilmore, who informed the JLP of certain backlash from supporters.
“The local government election must be called and a no ask me a ask nobody…some people a behave like say them own the nation, the place a fi di whole a we…so if them a plan fi do it, tell them think again… try it a fourth time and then you will see [what] we make out [of],” he argued.
He said the elections have already been postponed on more than one occasion and the people are hurt.
Gilmore stated that any attempt to enforce a further postponement will only evoke the wrath of the people.
Gilmore lost the Lime Hall Division in the last local government election in 2016 and will be seeking re-election.
