Jamaica elections 2016: Polls will be tight between PNP and JLP – race depends on marginal ridings

Jamaicans go to the polls this Thursday, in what regional analysts predict will be very close.

According to Derek Ramsamooj – a Trinidad & Tobago-based political analyst, the elections will come down to a fight for the 10 to 15 marginal ridings in which candidates in the respective seats will have to work hard to get their supporters out to vote.

Ramsamooj – who has been observing elections in the Caribbean region for more than 25 years – observed that like other countries in the region, the trends and influences in the Jamaica are influenced by party loyalty, political leadership, national appeal, based on issues and candidates at the riding level.

Ramsamooj said both the incumbent People’s National Party (PNP) under incumbent prime minister Portia Simpson-Miller, and the Opposition Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) under Andrew Holness have been using different types of messages to attract the electorate, with the PNP banking on the progress it has made to date; and the JLP on its ability to secure a better Jamaica through its partnership for prosperity.

The next 4 days are going to be crucial for the political parties, which will need to be on the ground to win voter support. According to opinion polls, issues that are most critical to voters minds include job creation; national security; quality of life issues – such as having more money in their pockets; housing and the ability to create and attract investment.