WHILE the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) fell short of its ambitious goal of winning all four seats in Manchester, Deputy Leader Michael Stern noted that the party has made significant progress in the parish compared to the 2024 Local Government Elections results.

The JLP had three seats in Manchester leading up to the September 3, 2025 General Election — Manchester Southern, Manchester Central, and Manchester North Eastern.

Stern had projected a total takeover of the parish by the JLP in an interview with the Jamaica Observer in July. However, after the votes were counted on September 3, the ruling party retained Manchester Central and Manchester North Eastern, but lost Manchester Southern to the People’s National Party. The PNP also retained its Manchester North Western seat that it has held since 1989.

Stern alleged that the JLP’s mission to sweep all four seats in the parish was thwarted by vote-buying in the parish by the Opposition. Similar claims of vote-buying by the JLP have been made by the PNP.

“If it was a natural vote to vote, we would have carried all four. If it ever came down to where people vote their own intention without being persuaded by other giveaways, then therefore you would have had a four-nil. But we come out two to two and we are satisfied that, based on our effort, we are going to do well in the parish council election coming up. We feel like Manchester [has] recovered from what took place in the parish council,” Stern said in reference to the February 2024 Local Government Elections.

Manchester North Eastern comprises three electoral divisions — Craighead, Christiana, and Walderston. In the 2024 Local Government Elections the JLP managed to hold on to Craighead, but the PNP swept Christiana and Walderston.

In Manchester Central — comprising Bellefield, Royal Flat, Mandeville, and Knockpatrick — the JLP faced a devastating setback, losing all four divisions to the PNP in the local government vote.

Manchester North Western — with Mile Gully, Johns Hall, New Green, and Spur Tree — remained firmly in the PNP’s grasp in the 2024 Local Government Elections, with the party holding all four seats.

Meanwhile, in Manchester Southern a tug-of-war played out across Alligator Pond, New Port, Porus, and Grove Town in the local government election. The JLP managed to capture Porus and Grove Town but Alligator Pond and New Port slipped through their fingers.

“A lot of argument went on about how we were going to lose even in North East Manchester and [yet] we won all three [divisional] seats in the [2025] General [Election], so it is showing [that we are improving]. We won some of the [divisional] seats in [Manchester] Central too… and we won some of the [divisional] seats in the other two constituencies, so it means that we have improved. We have improved tremendously over the parish council election, and they were basing a lot of their judgment call on the fact that they felt they did enough to carry over into the general from the parish council,” Stern said in reference to the PNP.

“Based on division count, we won out… We have more divisions. That means the prospects of the parish council are good. If you were way down to three seats in a parish council election and [now] you are way up, then it means that you have recovered,” he stressed.

He said the JLP ran a good campaign with good organisational strength, and is looking to rebuild strength in other constituencies where he also alleged vote-buying took place.

“In Clarendon, some of that took place, but we had a road issue, which we shouldn’t have. A lot of the roads have been up by the northern belt; we were waiting for those to have been fixed. It didn’t happen, and that way it will lead to the result up there. But, we’re the Government. We’re going to work with the people just the same,” said Stern.

The JLP lost both Clarendon North Western and Clarendon North Eastern to the PNP in the 2025 General Election, seats they had secured in the 2020 poll.

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