Jamaica Elections 2025: Holness Leads JLP to Historic Third Term Victory Amid Economic Progress
Historic Victory in Jamaica’s General Election
Jamaica conducted a pivotal general election on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, which observers considered a defining moment for the island nation amid ongoing challenges of corruption, inequity, and economic concerns.
Electoral Competition and Key Players
The election featured incumbent Prime Minister Andrew Holness of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) seeking a third term against Mark Golding of the People’s National Party (PNP), with additional contestants including the Jamaica Progressive Party and the United Independents’ Congress.
In this election, 63 seats in Jamaica’s House of Representatives were contested. The leader of the party winning the majority automatically becomes the island’s prime minister, who then appoints 13 of 21 senators to Jamaica’s upper chamber of Parliament, with the opposition selecting the remaining eight.
Government Achievements and Campaign Focus
Under Holness’s leadership, Jamaica has witnessed remarkable progress, including a significant 43% reduction in killings this year – the most substantial decline in decades. This improvement is attributed to increased firearm seizures and enhanced security force coordination across the island.
Despite Holness’s administration achieving notable successes in reducing debt, lowering crime rates, and achieving record-low unemployment, pre-election polls indicated a closely contested race between the JLP and PNP.
Voter Participation and Electoral Process
While 2,077,799 Jamaicans were eligible to vote in this election, marking an increase from the 1,913,410 eligible voters in 2020, recent years have seen declining poll participation, with the 2020 general election recording approximately 37% turnout during the coronavirus pandemic.
Looking Ahead
The election outcome holds particular significance as Jamaica considers its constitutional future. While there were plans to transition to a republic, requiring parliamentary approval and a referendum, it was confirmed in March 2025 that such changes would not occur before this general election.
