KINGSTON, Jamaica – The People’s National Party (PNP) says it is taking note of comments made by Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Marlene Malahoo Forte, indicating that general elections are not constitutionally due in September.

The PNP said it had taken note of the “gratuitous comments” regarding the timing of the next general election, comments it claimed appeared designed to inject uncertainty and confusion at a time when the Jamaican people are experiencing immense hardship.

“It reeks of desperation and appears to test the patience of a people who are already demanding meaningful change. The Jamaican people expect to go to the polls by September to elect a new government. That expectation is not merely political. It is constitutional. It must not be frustrated,” Dr Dayton Campbell, PNP general secretary said in a press release on Thursday.

“Jamaica’s constitutional democracy is strong and resilient, but it must not be undermined by an administration attempting to extend its time in power by dubious means,” said Campbell, describing the comments as dangerously provocative and entirely unnecessary.

“Both political parties are already in campaign mode, and the people rightly expect an election by September. If the minister’s statement was merely an attempt to test public reaction or distract from the mounting failures of governance, let it be known: the PNP will not be distracted, nor will it back down from its duty to stand with the people.” Campbell called on the prime minister to urgently clarify the purpose of the minister’s comments, and to reassure the nation that there will be no attempt to delay the election or interfere with the constitutional timeline.

Campbell indicated that the public is already engaged and ready to vote when elections are called.

“The PNP reiterates that under Jamaica’s Constitution, if the prime minister does not advise the governor-general to dissolve Parliament, it will do so automatically upon the completion of its term. Once Parliament is dissolved, a general election must be held within three months. Jamaica is not at war, and there are no conditions currently present that would permit a lawful extension or deviation from this timeline,” Campbell cautioned.

The general secretary further warned the JLP against abusing or misinterpreting any constitutional provisions for which the objective requirements do not exist and lambasted the party for what it called a constitutionally reckless track record, “from pre-signed Senate resignation letters, to the appointment of an acting chief justice in breach of convention, to the NIDS legislation which was struck down by the Constitutional Court.”