Holness puts JLP in full campaign mode as election nears

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has reportedly declared that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is now in full campaign mode as it intensifies preparations for a general election expected by September.

Holness made the announcement during a closed-door meeting with the party’s slate of prospective candidates on Tuesday at the JLP's Belmont Road headquarters in St Andrew.

According to party insiders, the prime minister told representatives that the pre-campaign phase was over and that the party has now shifted gear into full operational readiness.

During the meeting, Holness is said to have assessed each candidate’s preparedness and reviewed key campaign plans and strategies aimed at securing a historic third consecutive term for the governing party. He also reportedly gave direction on campaign coordination and signalled that public engagements would become even more frequent in the coming weeks.

The prime minister has the constitutional authority to announce elections.

While no date has been announced, it is widely expected by September. The Constitution mandates that Parliament be dissolved on the fifth anniversary of its first sitting after the last general election. Elections would then be due within three months, though the usual practice is for them to be held before the full five-year term expires.

In recent weeks, the JLP has increased the pace of its outreach through spot meetings, community tours, and targeted constituency engagements across the island. It has promoted a record of macroeconomic achievements, including historically low poverty and unemployment levels, infrastructure development, and a reduction in murders, among other gains.

Speaking at a party meeting in Clarendon South Eastern in May, Holness said the next phase of his administration’s agenda is focused on building the local economy so Jamaicans can “experience your own prosperity”.

“The Jamaica Labour Party has fixed the national economy,” he said.

Several JLP members of parliament, especially in marginal or high-interest constituencies, have also been observed stepping up visibility efforts. The JLP, whose early campaign theme is “Choose Jamaica”, has also been hosting a series of events honouring workers—a move seen as a bid to energise a vital group that has expressed concerns about their treatment by some local leaders.

The JLP, which won 49 of 63 seats in the 2020 general election, is facing a more united Opposition People’s National Party (PNP), which has also ramped up its presence in several constituencies through candidate unveilings and policy announcements. The PNP won 14 seats in 2020.

The PNP is campaigning under the theme “Time Come” and has accused the Holness administration of neglecting poor and working-class Jamaicans and weakening key institutions of accountability. It has also partly focused its campaign on the prime minister’s decision to remain in office despite his income filings not being certified by the Integrity Commission following an inconclusive investigation into illicit enrichment.

That matter was referred to the Financial Investigations Division. Holness has denied any wrongdoing.

“The people of Jamaica have lost all confidence in the ethical and moral foundation of this government,” PNP President Mark Golding said at a party meeting in St Andrew East Central on Sunday.

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