Jamaica elections 2016: Initial opinion polls suggest Simpson-Miller and her PNP will be re-elected

If the results of an opinion poll conducted over the past few days are to be believed, incumbent Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller and her People’s National Party (PNP) will win the February 25 general election.

According to the result, majority of those polled, indicated that they would prefer to vote for the incumbent Simpson-Miller and her PNP over opposition leader Andrew Holness and his Jamaica Labor Party (JLP).

The poll also revealed that 68 percent of the voters polled, wanted an election before March this year, in addition to having a fixed elections date.

A large number of eligible voters polled have indicated that they are either not voting, have not decided who they are voting for or they are not saying who they voting for.

The JLP on the other hand has revealed that they are “not troubled” by the results of the poll – JLP Member of parliament and cabinet minister under a previous JLP administration, Daryl Vaz, urged supporters not to panic, but to let their votes speak on Election Day. “The only true poll is the people’s poll,” Vaz stated.

A re-elected Portia Simpson-Miller – if she wins the election – will likely be serving her final term – she is not likely to contest the next, constitutionally due election in 2021, when she will be just past her 75th birthday.

Opposition leader Andrew Holness and his JLP are campaigning on the theme “Partnership for Prosperity”. Holness was Prime Minister of Jamaica for more than 2 months before losing the December 2011 general election with a 2-1 margin, as Simpson-Miller and her PNP won 42 of the 63 ridings in the Jamaican House of Representatives.