Jamaica Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, on Tuesday, announced that General Elections will be held on September 3, 2020.
According to the Jamaica Observer, Holness made the announcement in the House of Representatives minutes after members agreed to end the current states of public emergency (SOE) on August 17.
Holness informed the House that he had already advised the governor general to dissolve Parliament on Thursday, August 13.
Next Tuesday, August 18, will be Nomination Day.
“I have decided to announce the elections here in Parliament because it is important that this House, which is the people’s House, won’t be divided, and is not a house of disunity. In a time of crisis unity must prevail,” he stated.
“So I come to the House asking that we remain united as a country. We go to the elections, but we must always bear in mind right now, to be united to fight the COVID pandemic,” the prime minister said.
“I appeal to the Jamaican people to let us remain united. Let us remain as one people. There are always differences in opinion, and you have in your democracy the right to vote as you choose, but you can do so agreeably, peacefully and responsibly. Let us do it together as one people,” Holness said.
Holness announcement comes following last Saturday opposition People’s National Party (PNP) presenting 63 candidates during a meeting at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies in St Andrew.
The Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) last Sunday held a central executive meeting and presented the party’s full list of 63 candidates which led to indications and confirmation by Holness to indicate that certain announcements “soon, soon”.
That moment has arrived. Holness general election campaign is expected to run under the theme ‘Recovering Stronger’.
