Jamaican Elections: 2 Days After

Yes friends, former Jamaican Prime Minister and leader of the People's National Party, Portia Simpson Miller, has finally conceded defeat!

She has however done so with the following conditions:

1) That the recounting of ballots currently underway, shows the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) winning a majority of seats
2) Her party reserves the right to challenge any seat, based on "constitutional concerns", following the recount.

These constitutional concerns no doubt will include the PNP tyring to oust JLP Parliamentary Members (PMs) who are allegedly US citizens. (Under the Jamaican constitution, PMs cannot pledge allegiance to any other country, but Jamaica.

So present JLP candidates, who have won their seats and who are US Citizens, may not get a chance to sit in Parliament, unless they have renounced their US citizenship.

Whether this renouncement should have taken place prior to these candidates being nominated, or prior to them taking the Parliamentary oath is unclear.  But Girl With a Purpose Blog will keep you updated when this clear.)

The PNP is trying to use this situation to either gain a 30 PNP seat: 30 JLP seat balance in Parliament, or eventually hold a majority (over 30 seats) in Parliament.

[With a 30:30 split, then one person on either party would have to "cross the floor"(convert to the other party) so that that party could hold a majority number of Parliamentary seats.

The Jamaican constitution clearly states that one party must hold a majority in Parliament.]

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Just a correction to what was said in a previous post, "Jamaicans Vote Today! - PM Portia Simpson-Miller Refuses to Concede Defeat!" - the recount that is underway by the Electoral Office of Jamaica, is not a Magisterial Recount.

A Magisterial Recount will occur if candidates of either party, challenge the results of this current recounting exercise. Then the challenger will have to bring his/her case before a Registered Magistrate (a judge) of the Courts, who will order a recount, if a case is made for same.

Gillian

Sources Include:

Article, "Portia Concedes", Jamaica Gleaner, September 5, 2007