Jamaica elections 2025: Holness keeps St Andrew West Central as JLP secures third term

Holness keeps St Andrew West Central as JLP wins third term

Andrew Holness has held onto St Andrew West Central, beating the People’s National Party’s Paul Buchanan by 7,054 to 4,953 votes, according to the preliminary count. The 2,101-vote margin keeps the Jamaica Labour Party leader in Parliament and caps an election night that left the JLP with 34 seats to the PNP’s 29. These are provisional figures and will go to final certification by the Electoral Office of Jamaica in the coming days.

Holness’s victory maintains a seat he has represented for years, and it came with less drama than many expected after a tighter national mood. In 2020, he took about 64.7% in the constituency when 11,124 ballots were cast. This time, while the national race tightened, St Andrew West Central stayed in the JLP column, underscoring how entrenched voting patterns in parts of the Corporate Area still matter.

Buchanan ran a focused campaign and benefited from a livelier PNP ground game across Kingston and St Andrew. But the gap in West Central shows Holness’s personal pull remains strong with community networks that have been built over decades. The PNP will point to movement elsewhere in the capital, yet this seat again resisted the swing.

Up the road in St Andrew North Central, former senator and state minister for tourism Delano Seiveright scored a commanding win, beating the PNP’s Christopher Henry by roughly 2,500 votes, based on the early tally. Seiveright secured the JLP nomination in June and will replace veteran MP Karl Samuda, marking a generational handover inside the party. The breadth of his support—spanning inner-city blocks and middle-class corridors—signals that candidate profile and constituency organisation still cut through in close cycles.

Nationally, the 34–29 split is a much narrower result than 2020’s 49–14 blowout. The JLP holds on to government, but the message from voters is mixed: deliver on crime reduction, keep a lid on living costs, and show tangible progress on roads, water, and housing—or risk a quick backlash. For the PNP, the numbers show a path back, even if not quite enough this time.

Across both St Andrew seats, the issues were clear: inflation pressure on household budgets, employment opportunities for young people, school safety, and basic infrastructure that works. Residents talked as much about midday water lock-offs and potholes as national policy, which is why constituency-level trust and responsiveness still decide seats in Kingston’s dense communities.

What happens next? Returning officers will manage recounts where requested, and the EOJ will certify results. Expect the new Cabinet lineup soon after, followed by the ceremonial opening of Parliament. Constituency offices will also switch into service mode, processing welfare queries, small business documentation, and back-to-school grants as the political dust settles.

Key numbers, context, and what to watch

• St Andrew West Central (preliminary): Holness (JLP) 7,054; Buchanan (PNP) 4,953; margin 2,101.
• 2020 benchmark in West Central: Holness won about 64.7% of 11,124 votes cast.
• St Andrew North Central (preliminary): Seiveright (JLP) ahead by roughly 2,500 votes.
• National picture (preliminary): JLP 34 seats, PNP 29 seats, out of 63.
• Election day: September 3, 2025; final certification pending.

Holness’s hold on West Central is not just about party loyalty; it is about long familiarity with the constituency’s needs and a reputation, fair or not, for making calls get answered. Even in a closer national race, that kind of incumbency advantage is tough to crack. The PNP’s Buchanan brought energy and a sharper message than some past challengers, yet he ran into the hard reality of established networks and a leader’s spotlight.

Seiveright’s win matters for a different reason. As a former state minister for tourism, he is known beyond the constituency and campaigned on economic opportunity tied to tourism, tech, and small business growth. Taking over from Karl Samuda, who served the area for decades, he inherits both expectations and a machine that knows how to deliver constituency services. The size of his margin suggests he missed no beats in a compressed campaign after his June nomination.

The tighter national outcome forces both parties to read the map with care. For the JLP, holding the capital’s anchor seats while losing ground elsewhere would mean a governing strategy that targets high-visibility wins—visible road fixes, smoother permit processes, and targeted crime reduction in hot spots. For the PNP, a credible next step is to lock in gains where the margin narrowed and build a consistent presence in communities that warmed up to them this cycle.

Institutionally, the process moves in a familiar sequence: recounts where margins are narrow, certification by the EOJ, then the swearing-in of MPs and the Prime Minister. Budgets and legislative priorities will follow. Keep an eye on early signals—who gets security, finance, and infrastructure portfolios; how fast the government moves on bills; and whether newly won marginal seats see quick, visible projects.

For voters in St Andrew West Central and North Central, the scoreboard is only step one. People expect action on drainage before the next heavy rains, safer school zones, and support for corner shops and street vendors that keep neighbourhood economies alive. That’s the measure that will matter well before the next cycle of rallies and motorcades returns.

However the final spreadsheet lands, the story of the Jamaica elections 2025 in Kingston is about resilience and renewal—an incumbent leader reinforcing his base in West Central, and a fresh face in North Central stepping into a role shaped by years of institutional muscle. The next few months will show whether those wins turn into daily results on the ground.