KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC- The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) says 189 candidates, including 53 women, have been nominated to contest the September 3 general election.
According to the EOJ, both the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP) will contest all 63 seats at stake in the elections.
The Jamaica Progressive Party (JPP) has entered candidates in 47 constituencies on Nomination Day on Monday, while seven nominees will represent the United Independents’ Congress (UIC).
The EOJ said that nine candidates will run as independents across constituencies in St Thomas, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland, St Catherine, and St Andrew.
The EOJ said it is now thoroughly preparing itself for the election, including the assignment of symbols to independent candidates, the printing of ballots, the distribution of election supplies, and the preparation of polling stations.
Special Services Voting Day is scheduled for Friday, August 29.
Meanwhile, the Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) has expressed alarm over the “recent unprecedented public disclosures by both the PNP and the JLP regarding the ‘objections’ to specific media professionals proposed by the Jamaica Debates Commission (JDC) to serve as questioners or moderators in the forthcoming national political debates.
In a statement, PAJ president, Dashan Hendricks, said the “alarming development threatens to erode the independence and integrity of the press by politicising the role of journalists in a process that should remain impartial, transparent, and free from partisan interference.
“The PAJ expresses deep concern over this significant departure from established norms, whereby individual journalists’ names and media organisations have been publicly cited and politicised in the selection process for debate panellists.”
Hendricks said historically, such matters have been handled discreetly and internally by the Jamaica Debates Commission to safeguard the integrity, independence, and impartiality essential to the democratic process.
The PAJ president said he was greatly concerned over the public release of names and details of political party preferences or objections concerning media participants and that such disclosures, “seriously undermine the perceived independence of the media and the debate process; raise troubling questions about freedom of the press and the protection of journalists from political interference and risk eroding public confidence in the impartiality and fairness of the national debates”.
The PAJ is calling for the JDC to assert its authority and ensure a transparent, fair, and unbiased process. It also asked the parties “to uphold press freedom and refrain from actions that politicise or undermine the essential role of journalists in democratic governance, and the wider media community and public to remain vigilant in defending the principles of journalistic independence and democratic integrity.”
Hendricks said the PAJ remains committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to protect media freedom and uphold the highest standards of journalistic professionalism during this crucial electoral period.
“The PAJ reiterates that a free and independent press is fundamental to democracy, and that political interests must never compromise editorial and journalistic independence. Journalists and media professionals should be permitted to participate in political debates based on their professionalism, qualifications, and contribution to public discourse — not their political connections or the preferences of political actors,” said Hendricks.
Earlier, the JDC said it had written to both major political parties expressing disappointment about public comments made regarding discussions surrounding the arrangements for the election debates.
In the letter to the parties, the Commission’s Chairman, Brian Schmidt, said, “As it was specifically requested and agreed by both parties that the negotiations be held in confidence, the JDC is extremely disappointed at this breach.
“We owe it to the Jamaican public to proceed with the agreed programme of activities in good faith and with appropriate confidentiality.”
Last week, Schmidt said that the two main political parties have agreed to participate in three debates ahead of the September 3 general election.
According to the EOJ, 2,077,799 people are eligible to vote in the upcoming general election, with political observers saying that 20 swing states could determine the outcome of the election.
Since gaining universal adult suffrage in 1944, Jamaica has held 18 general elections with both parties winning on nine occasions each.
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