Portia L. Simpson-Miller Out! Andrew M. Holness In! as Jamaica's new PM
The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has been declared winner of the 2016 General Elections after unseating the People's National Party (PNP) in the polls of February 25, 2016.
It means that Prime Minister Portia L. Simpson-Miller or ‘Sister’ P or ‘Mama P’ as she is affectionally known will no longer be the Prime Minister of that country where she was the first woman to serve in that post.
The PNP lost the election 30-33 in the 63-seat House of Representatives.
JLP party leader Andrew M. Holness arrived at the party's Belmont Road headquarters where he was greeted by a large and jubilant crowd of party supporters and gave his victory speech.
Holness, who defeated the PNP's Patrick Roberts to retain his St Andrew West Central seat, will be joined in Parliament by his wife Juliet, who defeated Imani Duncan - Price to secure the St Andrew East Rural constituency.
This has also made history, to have a husband and wife pair in the Jamaica Parliament.
According to our affiliate newspaper. the Jamaica Gleaner, the PNP's Deputy General Secretary Julian Robinson said, "We knew a number of seats were close but we obviously never expected to lose that many."
"We knew there were some marginal but we expected to win some of the marginal," he added.
The PNP leadership conceded shortly in front of a small, sombre crowd at the party's Old Hope Road headquarters.
Winds of changes over the past two years in the Caribbean
Within the past two to three years some 14 out of 16 Caribbean countries have changed their Governments. Those who had a government change included Anguilla, Bermuda, St Martin, St Kitts-Nevis, United States Virgin Islands, Montserrat, St Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana.
However, three governments have held on to power within the past year, including the Virgin Islands, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
22 Responses to “Portia L. Simpson-Miller Out! Andrew M. Holness In! as Jamaica's new PM”
Now for the young men, be prepared to die from the guns of the police and soldiers. To the parents of young men across Jamaica, be prepared for more Tivoli-style killings.
i am glad for the change aspower gets to these leader head too fast and they always crying out that they are for the poor and the poor only gets poorer when they all take office.