Jamaican prime minister fights for her job amid tough times

The People’s National Party (PNP), the ruling party led by incumbent Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller, and the main opposition party, the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), led by Andrew Holness, competed hard for the 63-seat House of Representatives.

Despite her party’s loss, former prime minister Portia Simpson Miller also retained her seat.

Jamaica’s opposition narrowly won a general election on Thursday, with its message of deep tax cuts and massive job creation winning over voters tired of years of tough IMF-mandated austerity measures.

The opposition Jamaica Labour Party swept to an upset victory Thursday in the Caribbean country’s parliamentary elections.

Dozens were hurt in a stampede when shots were fired as Simpson-Miller addressed PNP’s closing rally on Tuesday, a reminder of high crime and gang involvement in politics.

Holness has criticised the government’s austerity and promised steep income tax cuts he says will boost the economy’s still sluggish growth. Her second term started in 2011.

The Labourites will now form Jamaica’s new Government, after the People’s National Party only managed to win 30 constituency seats. “You are going to see a far more energized Jamaica Labor Party base than in 2011 because our members have been motivated by the issues we have raised in our campaign”, Holness said. “The cost of victory is to keep the commitments that we have made”, he said.

However, Simpson Miller said nothing must be left to chance in the recount of ballots over the next few days.

Last year GDP grew by 1.3%, according to World Bank figures. Results are expected late in the day. We have been given stewardship of the country and we stand to be accountable. But only 47.5 percent of the over 1.8 million registered voters went to the polls, the lowest ever in the history of parliamentary voting in the country, despite the addition of almost 200,000 new voters to voter lists.