Mark Golding concedes ‘closely fought’ general election in Jamaica

People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding conceded defeat Wednesday night, acknowledging the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) 34-29 victory in the general election and describing it as a “difficult night” for his party.

Speaking at PNP headquarters on Old Hope Road, Golding told supporters it was his duty to respect the outcome.

“Jamaica’s democracy is important and we must cherish it. Sometimes it brings bitter disappointments. Sometimes those disappointments are laced with a tinge of a sense that not all is fair and just, but it is very, very important that we put democracy ahead of all of those feelings. And I accept the result of these elections and although, obviously, I’m very disappointed in the outcome, I think it is only correct to expressly acknowledge the success that our opponents have managed to [achieve] today,” he said.

The Opposition party rallied from its 14-49 defeat in 2020 to win 29 seats, more than doubling its parliamentary presence, but still fell short of unseating the JLP in a largely incident-free election marked by low turnout. Just 39.5 percent of the electorate voted — a slight uptick from the 38 percent recorded in the COVID-marred 2020 polls.

Golding described the contest as a “closely fought” one, calling it a “wonderful demonstration of the maturity of Jamaica’s political process.”