Jamaican general election, 1983
Encyclopedia
Early general elections were held in Jamaica
on 15 December 1983. The election was boycotted
by the main opposition party, the People's National Party
, in protest at the refusal of the ruling Jamaican Labour Party to update the electoral roll. Whilst several minor parties participated in the election, the PNP's call for a boycott was a success amongst voters, as voter turnout
was just 2.7%. However, it allowed the Labour Party to win all 60 seats in the House of Representatives, with their leader, Edward Seaga
, continuing as Prime Minister
.
in convincing style, taking 51 of the 60 seats in the House of Representatives. At the time the party promised to update the electoral roll, but had failed to do so by the 1983 elections. On 25 November 1983 Seaga called early elections, two years before they were due. Seaga claimed that the move was due to People's National Party leader Michael Manley
calling for him to resign from his post of Finance Minister (which he held in addition to being Prime Minister), and that the early elections would be a public vote of confidence in his austerity plans.
Whilst the People's National Party boycotted the elections and called for others to do so as well, three minor parties and several independents contested the elections. Two of the parties, the Christian Conscience Movement
and the Jamaica United Front
, had never previously contested an election. The other, the Republican Party
, had run in the 1955
and 1967 elections
, but had never received more than 108 votes. Between them, opposition and independent candidates only contested six constituencies, resulting in Labour Party candidates winning 54 seats unopposed. Whilst turnout in the contested seats was estimated to be around 55%, the overall total was just 2.7%, by far the lowest in the country's history and the only time it has been below 50%.
, in which the People's National Party won 45 of the 60 seats.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
on 15 December 1983. The election was boycotted
Election boycott
An election boycott is the boycotting of an election by a group of voters, each of whom abstains from voting.Boycotting may be used as a form of political protest where voters feel that electoral fraud is likely, or that the electoral system is biased against its candidates, or that the polity...
by the main opposition party, the People's National Party
People's National Party
The People's National Party is a social democratic and social liberal Jamaican political party, founded by Norman Manley in 1938. It is the oldest political party in the Anglophone Caribbean and one of the main two political parties in Jamaica. Out of the two major parties, it is considered more...
, in protest at the refusal of the ruling Jamaican Labour Party to update the electoral roll. Whilst several minor parties participated in the election, the PNP's call for a boycott was a success amongst voters, as voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was just 2.7%. However, it allowed the Labour Party to win all 60 seats in the House of Representatives, with their leader, Edward Seaga
Edward Seaga
Edward Philip George Seaga ON PC was the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1980 to 1989 and Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party from 1974 to 2005. He served as leader of the opposition from 1974 to 1980 and again from 1989 until January 2005...
, continuing as Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Jamaica
The Prime Minister of Jamaica is Jamaica's head of government, currently Andrew Holness. Andrew Holness was elected as the new leader of the governing Jamaica Labour Party and succeeded Bruce Golding to become Jamaica's ninth Prime Minister on 23 October 2011...
.
Background
The Labour Party had won the 1980 general electionsJamaican general election, 1980
General elections were held in Jamaica on 30 October 1980. The result was a victory for the Jamaica Labour Party, which won 51 of the 60 seats. Voter turnout was 86.9%.-Results:...
in convincing style, taking 51 of the 60 seats in the House of Representatives. At the time the party promised to update the electoral roll, but had failed to do so by the 1983 elections. On 25 November 1983 Seaga called early elections, two years before they were due. Seaga claimed that the move was due to People's National Party leader Michael Manley
Michael Manley
Michael Norman Manley ON OCC was the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica . Manley was a democratic socialist....
calling for him to resign from his post of Finance Minister (which he held in addition to being Prime Minister), and that the early elections would be a public vote of confidence in his austerity plans.
Whilst the People's National Party boycotted the elections and called for others to do so as well, three minor parties and several independents contested the elections. Two of the parties, the Christian Conscience Movement
Christian Conscience Movement
The Christian Conscience Movement was a political party in Jamaica. It first contested national elections in 1983. The elections that year saw a mass boycott as the People's National Party protested against the governemt. The CCM received only 704 votes, which amounted to 2.7% of the total, and...
and the Jamaica United Front
Jamaica United Front
The Jamaica United Front was a political party in Jamaica. It first contested national elections in 1983. The elections that year saw a mass boycott as the People's National Party protested against the governemt. The JUF received only 144 votes and failed to win a seat. It did not contest any...
, had never previously contested an election. The other, the Republican Party
Republican Party (Jamaica)
The Republican Party was a political party in Jamaica. It first contested national elections in 1955, but received only 108 votes and failed to win a seat. It did not take part in elections in 1959 or 1962, but returned for the 1967 elections, in which it received only 45 votes...
, had run in the 1955
Jamaican general election, 1955
General elections were held in Jamaica on 12 January 1955. The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 18 of the 32 seats. Voter turnout was 65.1%.-Results:...
and 1967 elections
Jamaican general election, 1967
General elections were held in Jamaica on 21 February 1967. The result was a victory for the Jamaica Labour Party, which won 33 of the 53 seats. Voter turnout was 82.2%.-Results:...
, but had never received more than 108 votes. Between them, opposition and independent candidates only contested six constituencies, resulting in Labour Party candidates winning 54 seats unopposed. Whilst turnout in the contested seats was estimated to be around 55%, the overall total was just 2.7%, by far the lowest in the country's history and the only time it has been below 50%.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica Labour Party Jamaica Labour Party The Jamaica Labour Party is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party. Despite its name, the JLP is a centre-right, conservative party.-Background:... |
23,363 | 89.7 | 60 | |
| Christian Conscience Movement Christian Conscience Movement The Christian Conscience Movement was a political party in Jamaica. It first contested national elections in 1983. The elections that year saw a mass boycott as the People's National Party protested against the governemt. The CCM received only 704 votes, which amounted to 2.7% of the total, and... |
704 | 2.7 | 0 | New |
| Republican Party Republican Party (Jamaica) The Republican Party was a political party in Jamaica. It first contested national elections in 1955, but received only 108 votes and failed to win a seat. It did not take part in elections in 1959 or 1962, but returned for the 1967 elections, in which it received only 45 votes... |
257 | 1.0 | 0 | New |
| Jamaica United Front Jamaica United Front The Jamaica United Front was a political party in Jamaica. It first contested national elections in 1983. The elections that year saw a mass boycott as the People's National Party protested against the governemt. The JUF received only 144 votes and failed to win a seat. It did not contest any... |
144 | 0.6 | 0 | New |
| Independents | 1,587 | 6.1 | 0 | New |
| Invalid/blank votes | 488 | – | – | – |
| Total | 26,543 | 100 | 60 | 0 |
| Source: Nohlen | ||||
Aftermath
The Labour Party government was sworn in on 19 December, and remained in power until the 1989 electionsJamaican general election, 1989
General elections were held in Jamaica on 9 February 1989. The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 45 of the 60 seats. Voter turnout was 78.4%.-Results:...
, in which the People's National Party won 45 of the 60 seats.