Jamaicans vote on Thursday in general elections with all polls pointing to a statistical dead heat, with a numerical edge to the opposition People's National Party (PNP) led by former Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, the island's first female leader.
Andrew Holness, the country’s youngest prime minister, is hoping to get his first mandate. He took charge of the governing Jamaica Leader Party (JLP) in October following the resignation of Bruce Golding as Prime Minister and political leader of the party.
Golding had struggled to make a difference but he brought on his own political demise in his struggle with the United States to avoid the extradition to the US of known JLP supporter, crime kingpin Christopher "Dudus" coke.
No one is willing to guess who will win on Thursday. The PNP had 27 seats in the previous election and the governing party had the other 33. There are 150 candidates running for election to the parliament.
Simpson-Miller served as Jamaica prime minister from March 2006 to September 2007, when her party was defeated in the general election that brought Golding and the JLP to office.
Now Golding finds himself in a similar situation, hoping that his age would give him the additional push he needs to get him and his party back in government.
Andrew Holness, the country’s youngest prime minister, is hoping to get his first mandate. He took charge of the governing Jamaica Leader Party (JLP) in October following the resignation of Bruce Golding as Prime Minister and political leader of the party.
Golding had struggled to make a difference but he brought on his own political demise in his struggle with the United States to avoid the extradition to the US of known JLP supporter, crime kingpin Christopher "Dudus" coke.
No one is willing to guess who will win on Thursday. The PNP had 27 seats in the previous election and the governing party had the other 33. There are 150 candidates running for election to the parliament.
Simpson-Miller served as Jamaica prime minister from March 2006 to September 2007, when her party was defeated in the general election that brought Golding and the JLP to office.
Now Golding finds himself in a similar situation, hoping that his age would give him the additional push he needs to get him and his party back in government.
The PNP leader is counting that she could get voters on her side by showing that at 39 Holness is not up to the challenge.
“I don’t know if you would put your children in a car with someone who has just learned to drive,” Simpson Miller told supporters.
Whoever takes charge, will face serious economic problems. Jamaica's debt load stands at more than 120 per cent of gross domestic product, with debt payments gobbling up nearly half of the country's budget and leaving dwindling resources to pay government workers and fund schools and hospitals. And the island's unemployment rate has risen to 12.9 per cent, with an economy that shrank just over 1 per cent last year.
No comments:
Post a Comment