VOTERS embraced Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness’s entreaty to ‘Choose Jamaica’ by returning the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to office for a third-consecutive term in Wednesday’s fiercely contested general election.

Going into the country’s 19th general election since universal adult suffrage, the JLP was defending the 49 seats it won in 2020, but a well-organised and determined People’s National Party (PNP) flipped 15 of those seats to end the day with 29, leaving the Holness-led team with 34 based on the preliminary count of the ballots announced by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ).

In welcoming the victory an overjoyed Holness, the first JLP leader to win three-consecutive general elections, declared that Jamaica won while expressing appreciation for the support of people who voted for the party he leads.

“The majority of voters decided to ‘Choose Jamaica’,” said Holness in a direct reference to the JLP’s campaign slogan heading into the election.

“Make no mistake about it, this was not victory by default. Make no mistake about it, this was not an easy victory. Make no mistake about it, this was a fight. But we did not descend… to the gutter to fight, we did not seek to trick the people to win, we did not seek to tear down anyone to lift up ourselves, we did not seek to tear down Jamaica in order to administer the affairs of Jamaicans.

“We ran a clean, disciplined, well-organised campaign, and we proved that we can run a decent campaign and win,” said Holness in a thinly veiled jab at the PNP, which hammered him with allegations of corruption and other misdeeds during the campaign.

With hundreds of Labourites cheering him on inside the party’s Belmont Road headquarters in New Kingston, Holness argued that the result of the general election proves that Jamaica’s democracy is intact.

He charged that there are people who want to suggest that the JLP winning a third-consecutive term was a threat to Jamaica’s democracy, “well, today has dispelled that because we went through the toughest difficult battle in any democratic society in the region”.

With the EOJ reporting that the preliminary voter turnout was approximately 39.5 per cent, Holness accepted that this was a cause for concern but underscored that the majority of those who cast their ballots chose the JLP.

“So I am satisfied that our democracy is strong, but I want to assure all Jamaicans who participated in the elections or who did not… that my Government will continue to be respectful of, uphold, and advance democratic institutions and protect the democracy of this country,” he said.

According to Holness, his new Administration will be even more focussed on improving the conditions of all Jamaicans.

“In the third term — as in the first and the second — we must guard against arrogance. We must develop an even keener ear to listen to the people. We must be focused on addressing the needs of the people, and while it is clear that the majority has spoken and chosen the Jamaica Labour Party, geographically and traditionally there are still those who do not share that view,” said Holness.

He told the upbeat party supporters that in its third term the JLP Administration must be laser-focused on ensuring prosperity for all Jamaicans in whatever form they see this.

The JLP leader declared that the third term is an opportunity for the renewal of his Administration by attracting new people, exposing new talents, refreshing ideas, and presenting to the people of Jamaica a consistent, credible political organisation.

“So we will not be laying back comfortable in victory, no. We will be rebuilding, refreshing, renewing and preparing to be a credible alternative to the Opposition for a fourth term of a Jamaica Labour Party Government. So Labourites, Jamaicans, your democracy is strong, you have made the right decision to continue with a Government that performs, because it sends a signal to governments to come that the way to win is by performing, by doing, by achieving victory by merit.

“In our second term we created a momentum; we are on the right path, heading in the right direction with a trajectory that should not be broken, and the Jamaican people share that view,” declared Holness whose JLP candidates swept the three municipal by-elections also conducted on Wednesday — Chancery Hall in St Andrew North Western, Olympic Gardens in St Andrew West Central, and Denham Town in Kingston Western.

The overall preliminary turnout for the by-elections was approximately 36.1 per cent.

The final counting of ballots will begin this morning at designated counting centres, at which point the returning officers will open each ballot box and count all the ballots cast for the constituency, in the presence of the candidates and/or their representatives.

The Electoral Commission of Jamaica has noted that this process will take longer to complete than the preliminary count and has urged the public to be patient while it is completed.

A Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) supporter celebrates the party’s general election victory by banging pot covers at JLP headquarters on Wednesday night.