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<H5>Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research</H5><H1>Jamaican Political Scene Very Close</H1><DIV id=date>November 18, 2006</DIV><DIV id=content-main-subpg><DIV id=associated-image>
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- There is no clear favourite in Jamaica, according to a poll by Stone published in the Jamaican Observer. 28.7 per cent of respondents would vote for the governing People’s National Party (PNP), while 28.6 per cent would back the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the next election.
More than a quarter of all respondents refused or said they would not vote, and 16.1 per cent remain undecided. Support for the PNP fell by 1.4 points since August, while backing for the JLP increased by 3.2 points.
In March, PNP leader Portia Simpson Miller took over as head of government. Fellow party member Percival J. Patterson had served as Jamaica’s prime minister since March 1992. In the October 2002 election, the PNP elected 34 legislators to the 60-member House of Representatives. The opposition JLP secured the remaining 26 seats. Bruce Golding took over as the JLP’s new leader in February 2005.
On Nov. 13, Simpson Miller discussed her views on global commerce, saying, "There is a recognition that trade, investment, diplomatic contact, desirable and necessary though they are, should also result in the betterment of people’s lives. Indeed, I see a direct link which should exist between investment and trade expansion, and the improvements in human welfare."
The next general election is tentatively scheduled for October 2007, but there is growing speculation that a ballot would take place earlier in the year.
Polling Data
If an election were held today with Bruce Golding as leader of the JLP and Portia Simpson Miller as leader of the PNP, which party would you vote for?<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=7 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="57%"></TD><TD width="21%">
Oct. 2006</TD><TD width="22%">
Aug. 2006</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
People’s National Party (PNP)</TD><TD width="21%">
28.7%</TD><TD width="22%">
30.1%</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)</TD><TD width="21%">
28.6%</TD><TD width="22%">
25.4%</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
Other</TD><TD width="21%">
0.1%</TD><TD width="22%">
0.5%</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
Undecided</TD><TD width="21%">
16.1%</TD><TD width="22%">
23.3%</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
Refused / Would not vote</TD><TD width="21%">
26.5%</TD><TD width="22%">
20.7%</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Source: Stone / The Jamaica Observer
Methodology: Interviews with 1,473 Jamaican adults, conducted from Oct. 12 to Oct. 25, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.</DIV>
</DIV>- There is no clear favourite in Jamaica, according to a poll by Stone published in the Jamaican Observer. 28.7 per cent of respondents would vote for the governing People’s National Party (PNP), while 28.6 per cent would back the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in the next election.
More than a quarter of all respondents refused or said they would not vote, and 16.1 per cent remain undecided. Support for the PNP fell by 1.4 points since August, while backing for the JLP increased by 3.2 points.
In March, PNP leader Portia Simpson Miller took over as head of government. Fellow party member Percival J. Patterson had served as Jamaica’s prime minister since March 1992. In the October 2002 election, the PNP elected 34 legislators to the 60-member House of Representatives. The opposition JLP secured the remaining 26 seats. Bruce Golding took over as the JLP’s new leader in February 2005.
On Nov. 13, Simpson Miller discussed her views on global commerce, saying, "There is a recognition that trade, investment, diplomatic contact, desirable and necessary though they are, should also result in the betterment of people’s lives. Indeed, I see a direct link which should exist between investment and trade expansion, and the improvements in human welfare."
The next general election is tentatively scheduled for October 2007, but there is growing speculation that a ballot would take place earlier in the year.
Polling Data
If an election were held today with Bruce Golding as leader of the JLP and Portia Simpson Miller as leader of the PNP, which party would you vote for?<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=7 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="57%"></TD><TD width="21%">
Oct. 2006</TD><TD width="22%">
Aug. 2006</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
People’s National Party (PNP)</TD><TD width="21%">
28.7%</TD><TD width="22%">
30.1%</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)</TD><TD width="21%">
28.6%</TD><TD width="22%">
25.4%</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
Other</TD><TD width="21%">
0.1%</TD><TD width="22%">
0.5%</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
Undecided</TD><TD width="21%">
16.1%</TD><TD width="22%">
23.3%</TD></TR><TR><TD width="57%">
Refused / Would not vote</TD><TD width="21%">
26.5%</TD><TD width="22%">
20.7%</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Source: Stone / The Jamaica Observer
Methodology: Interviews with 1,473 Jamaican adults, conducted from Oct. 12 to Oct. 25, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.</DIV>