The People’s National Party (PNP) erupted in celebration Sunday night after Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness announced that Jamaica’s next general election will be held on September 3.
PNP President Mark Golding, joined by senior party officials, led an impromptu gathering at the party’s Old Hope Road headquarters, where supporters had assembled in anticipation of the announcement.
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“We just want him to call it so we can end the bondage that the country has been under for the past nine years,” said one supporter, who gave his name as Dave. “Any date he calls, he will lose — and Jamaica will get a prime minister who can fix everything they broke down.”
The moment Holness named the date, cheers erupted as the party’s campaign anthem, Blood and Fire Comrades, blared from a campaign vehicle. Golding emerged to greet the crowd, declaring, “Time come.”
“Obviously they were running scared — because no government leaves it to the 11th hour. Really, the election called itself,” Golding told supporters, suggesting Holness had been cornered by the constitutional timeline.
Under Jamaican law, Parliament would have been dissolved on September 15, five years after its first sitting following the 2020 General Election, giving the prime minister up to three months to call the vote.
Golding used the moment to rally his base, urging party members to intensify campaigning.
“We will be on the road, continuing to take our message of hope to the people,” he said. “Carry the message far and wide. Let Jamaicans understand our plans — solid, relevant plans that address the real issues. We have the capacity, the will, and the determination to deliver when we form government.”
Calling on Comrades to organize in their constituencies, Golding declared: “Once we do what we have to do, we are unstoppable. There is no way they can stop us now. We are ready, and we are marching on to progress.”
