Government & politics — Jamaica

• history: several previous (preindependence); latest drafted 1961-62, submitted to British Parliament 24 July 1962,
• entered into force 6 August 1962 (at independence) amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments to "non-entrenched" constitutional sections, such as lowering the voting age, requires majority vote by the Parliament membership; passage of amendments to "entrenched" sections, such as fundamental rights and freedoms, requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament; passage of amendments to "specially entrenched" sections such as the dissolution of Parliament or the executive authority of the monarch requires two-thirds approval by Parliament and approval in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2017

• chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Sir Patrick L. ALLEN (since 26 February 2009); note - the Jamaican Government, in May 2023, announced plans to hold a referendum in 2024 to determine whether or not to remain in
• Prime Minister Andrew HOLNESS (since 3 March 2016) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor gener
• al on the advice of the prime minister elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general

Description

bicameral Parliament consists of: Senate (21 seats; 13 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and 8 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the opposition party leader; members serve 5-year terms (no term limits) or until Parliament is dissolved) House of Representatives (63 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms (no term limits) or until Parliament is dissolved)

Elections

Senate - last full slate of appointments early on 3 September 2020 (next full slate in 2025) House of Representatives - last held on 3 September 2020 (next to be held in 2025)

Election Results

• - Senate - percent by party - NA
• seats by party - NA
• composition (as of June 2021) - men 13, women 8, percent of women 38.1% House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - JLP 57%, PNP 42.8%, independent 0.2%
• seats by party - JLP 48, PNP 15
• composition (as of June 2021) - men 45, women 18
• percent of women 28.6%;

Note

total Parliament percent of women 31%

• highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of president of the court and a minimum of 4 judges); Supreme Court (40 judges organized in specialized divisions); note - appeals beyond Jamaica's highest courts are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) rather than to the Caribbean Court of Justice (the appellate court for member states o
• f the Caribbean Community) judge selection and term of office: chief justice of the Supreme Court and president of the Court of Appeal appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister; other judges of both courts appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission;
• judges of both courts serve till age 70 subordinate courts: resident magistrate courts, district courts, and petty sessions courts

14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation

• Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Andrew Michael HOLNESS]
• Jamaica Progressive Party or JPP [Gilbert Alexander EDWARDS]
• People's National Party or PNP [Mark GOLDING]
• United Independents' Congress or UIC [Joseph L. PATTERSON]

• yes residency requirement for naturalization: 4 out of the previous 5 years

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador N. Nickolas PERRY (since 13 May 2022) embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6 mailing address: 3210 Kingston Place, Washington DC 20521-3210

telephone

(876) 702-6000 (2018)

FAX

(876) 702-6348 (2018)

Email address and website

• KingstonACS@state.gov
• https://jm.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission

Ambassador Audrey Patrice MARKS (since 18 January 2017)

chancery

1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone

[1] (202) 452-0660

FAX

[1] (202) 452-0036

Email address and website

• contactus@jamaicaembassy.org
• https://www.embassyofjamaica.org/

consulate(s) general

Miami, New York consulate(s): Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Concord (MA), Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Richmond (VA), San Francisco, Seattle