Introduction
On Sept. 3, 2025, Jamaica held its general election in which Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won a historic third consecutive term, winning 34 of 63 seats in parliament. The President of the People’s National Party (PNP) and Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding was defeated, taking 29 parliamentary seats.
Holness’ victory can be traced back to his economic management of Jamaica and an overall drastic reduction of violent crime. Nonetheless, the election also raised concerns over key challenges such as; voter turnout, which fell to around 40 percent, and accusations surrounding financial mismanagement and corruption.
Leadership and Continuity
Holness’ third term win was largely due to his impact on lowering crime rates, and economic leadership. In 2023, the national poverty rate dropped to 8.2 percent, the lowest in more than 30 years. In similar fashion, unemployment fell to a record low of 3.3 percent in April 2025, in addition to a significant reduction of public debt. He has also carried out social programs including implementing higher minimum wages, greater social pensions and specifically targeting urban poverty and inequality.
Crime also dropped sharply under Holness’ leadership. Though Jamaica still ranks amongst the countries with the highest murder rates, there has been significant progress towards addressing the situation. Just recently, in August, Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake reported that “murders had decreased by 33 compared to the same period last July; an almost 43 percent reduction.” Holness’ government has increased firearm seizures, deployed The Joint Anti-Gang Task Force (JAGTF) and the “Get Every Illegal Gun” campaign.”
During his latest campaign, Holness and the JLP said they will cut down tax rates from 25 percent to 15 percent and double the minimum wage, if they win the election. He also pledged to continue youth employment initiatives, public infrastructure and health improvements. He also brought up efforts to improve beaches and recreational spaces for greater public amenities.
Allegations and Controversy
Questions about Holness’ integrity were also raised however. In late 2024, The Integrity Commission submitted a report to the Parliament laying out the full details of an investigation into his 2021 statutory declaration, citing concerns over the ownership of “assets disproportionate to his lawful earnings, and that he made false statements in his Statutory Declarations, by way of omissions, contrary to law.” Though the report did not find any formal wrongdoings, it was heavily scrutinised during the campaign.
Despite this voters did not appear to be swayed, as Holness denied any wrongdoings taking the report to the Supreme Court with other investigations finding no evidence of misconduct. Many also willingly overlooked the controversy in the idea of “a greater good” with trust that he would build on his undeniable progress across the last two terms.
Opposition and Voter Apathy
The PNP and Mark Golding exceeded expectations by winning 14 additional seats in comparison to the 2020 election results. They campaigned for attempting to resolve socioeconomic challenges including raising income tax thresholds, greater social investment and more. As reported by Aljazeera, they also accused the JLP of “mismanagement, including over the cost of buying second-hand school buses, and raised questions over the prime minister’s statutory declarations of income, assets and liabilities.”
Despite these gains, overall voter participation was low, with turnout around 40 percent. While very slightly higher than the 2020 election -which could be attributed to its clash with the pandemic- the participation rate meant that of the 2 million Jamaicans which were eligible to vote, nearly 1.2 million didn’t vote. Some urban constituencies reported lower participation rates than rural areas, indicating that voter engagement was generally low. Low turnout raises questions, with many left wondering whether the results truly represent the population’s preference.
Wider Implications and The Road Ahead
Holness’ third term victory demonstrates the continuity of leadership and approach to tackling Jamaica’s crime and economic conditions, however low voter turnout adds to the ongoing doubts circulating around governance and regulation. Going forward, the JLP will need to continue to deliver its promises on lowering socioeconomic burdens as well as lowering crime rates and continue existing social programs. The commitment to resolving said issues, could be an integral factor behind shaping public trust and restoring Jamaica’s democratic resilience.