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KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) Tuesday said it is prepared for Wednesday’s general election, which political observers say, despite four political parties seeking control of the 63-member Parliament, will be a straight contest between the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP).
In the 2020 general election, the JLP, which is seeking a third consecutive term in office, won 49 seats, with the remainder going to the PNP.
But recent opinion polls point to a close contest this time around, and the EOJ said that an estimated 2,077,799 persons are registered to vote.
The EOJ said that the ballots cast by the special services sectors last Friday totalled 25 938 out of a total of 45, 455 special service electors, including election day workers, who were eligible to vote.
The EOJ said that a total of 7,294 polling stations at 2,153 locations across the island will be open from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm (local time), after which the preliminary ballot count will take place inside the polling stations.
Director of Elections Glasspole Brown said the EOJ has finalised key arrangements, including the printing of ballots and voters’ lists, and the distribution of ballot boxes and supplies.
The EOJ said 184 candidates will contest the general election, and apart from the JLP and the PNP, the other political parties are the Jamaica Progressive Party (JPP) and the United Independents’ Congress (UIC).
The national elections will be monitored by several national, regional and international observers, including the Citizens Action for Free & Fair Elections (CAFFE), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the delegations from the British High Commission, the United States Embassy, and the European Union.
Zazeannah Walker 
