KINGSTON, Jamaica — A senior member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) was guarded on Sunday when asked to comment on a poll which has gone viral on social media showing the party with an almost six per cent lead over the People’s National Party (PNP).

“We generally don’t comment in detail on our internal polls. What I can say is yes our party leader’s office and the general secretary’s office have been conducting polls. The party leader’s office is focused on the national outlook from a strategic perspective, while the general secretary’s team is polling on a constituency level. We’ve been directed not to release polls at this time to guard against complacency. I’d imagine that at some point we will release data as we head into the General Election campaign,” the senior member said.

An internal poll, reportedly commissioned by the governing JLP, shows the Andrew Holness-led party with a near six percentage points lead over the Opposition PNP.

The poll, which leaked on social media platforms and WhatsApp on Sunday, was reportedly conducted between January 6 and 14 this year across all 63 constituencies and has a margin of error of +/- 3 per cent.

When Jamaicans were asked if a General Election is called today which political party they would vote for, 38.5 per cent said the JLP, while 32.7 per cent said the PNP.  Some 28.8 per cent of respondents were undecided.

This represents a 5.8 per cent lead for the governing party which will seek a third consecutive term in office later this year when a General Election is due.

The poll also showed Prime Minister and JLP Leader Andrew Holness with a 12 per cent lead over Opposition Leader and PNP President Mark Golding when Jamaicans were asked who they think is best suited to lead the country.

Holness was the choice for 41 per cent of those who participated in the poll while Golding attracted support from 29 per cent of the participants. Approximately 30 per cent of respondents said they are unsure.

The JLP internal poll also provided good news for the governing party when Jamaicans were asked which political party they support.

Some 34.4 per cent of respondents said the JLP and 31.9 per cent said the PNP, while 33.7 per cent had not made up their minds about which of the two major political parties they are backing.

Respondents were also asked to indicate which political party they believe is best able to deliver greater economic opportunity in government, with a whopping 42 per cent choosing the governing party and 23 per cent going with the opposition. Approximately 35 per cent were unsure.

Meanwhile, 54 per cent of respondents indicated that they believe the JLP is best able to create jobs when in government while 27 per cent said the PNP. Some 19 per cent were not sure.

The poll also evaluated the views of Jamaicans on which political party they believe is best able to keep the dollar stable and reduce cost of living. Approximately 51 per cent chose the Holness-led party, 26 per cent went with Golding’s PNP and 23 per cent of respondents said they were unsure.

Approximately 1,400 Jamaicans reportedly participated in the poll which was conducted about nine months before General Elections are constitutionally due.