Democracy assistance & elections news from the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS)
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Country Profile:

Upcoming Elections

  • Parliamentary
    December 2016

Jamaica

Description of government structure:

  • Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II *
  • Head of Government: Prime Minister Portia Lucretia SIMPSON-MILLER
  • Assembly: Jamaica has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 21 seats and the House of Representatives with 60 seats.

* The Queen is represented by Governor General Dr. Patrick L. ALLEN.

Description of electoral system:

  • The Queen is the hereditary head of state.
  • The Prime Minister is appointed by the governor-general.
  • In the Senate 21 members are appointed by the governor-general*. In the House of Representatives 60 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.

* The governor-general appoints members of the Senate on recommendation by the Prime Minister and leader of the opposing party. The ruling party is given 13 seats in the Senate, while the minority party is allotted 8 seats.

Population:

  • Population: 2,889,187 (July 2011 est.)

Future elections

  • Parliamentary - December 2016

Past elections

Last Updated on 06/19/2012

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