HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The People's National Party (PNP) is a
social-democratic Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner
Osmond Theodore Fairclough The People's National Party (PNP) is a social-democratic political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives, as 96 of the 227 local g ...
. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, as 96 of the 227 local government divisions. The party is
democratic socialist Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within ...
by constitution. The PNP uses the hatted head, the rising sun, the fist, the trumpet and the colours orange, red and yellow as electoral symbols. The party is a member of COPPPAL and a
Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisation ...
observer. From 1957 to 1962, the party was a member of the
West Indies Federal Labour Party The West Indies Federal Labour Party (WIFLP) or ''Federalists'' was one of two main Federal parties in the short-lived West Indies Federation, the other being the West Indies Democratic Labour Party (DLP) or ''Democrats''. The party was the f ...
in the Federal Parliament of the West Indies Federation.


Colonial Jamaica

The PNP was founded in 1938 by Norman Washington Manley, and is the second oldest political party in
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
(the People's Political Party was formed earlier, on 9 September 1929, by Marcus Garvey). It is now one of the country's main two political parties, and is considered more to the
left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album '' Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * ...
than its main rival the
Jamaica Labour Party The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is one of the two major political parties in Jamaica, the other being the People's National Party (PNP). While its name might suggest that it is a social democratic party (as is the case for "Labour" parties in sev ...
(JLP). The party held a majority of seats in the parliament of the
Colony of Jamaica The Crown Colony of Jamaica and Dependencies was a British colony from 1655, when it was captured by the English Protectorate from the Spanish Empire. Jamaica became a British colony from 1707 and a Crown colony in 1866. The Colony was prima ...
from 1955 until 1962. Following independence in 1962, it held the majority of seats in the
Jamaican Parliament The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: The Crown (represented by the Governor-General), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives. The Se ...
from 1972 to 1980, from 1989 to 2007, and from 2011 to 2016. The PNP was defeated in the first
universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...
elections held in Jamaica in 1944, winning only four of the 32 seats (one elected independent joined the party afterwards). The 1949 Jamaican general election was much closer. The PNP received more votes (203,048) than the JLP (199,538), but the JLP secured more seats; 17 to the PNP's 13. Two seats were won by independents. The voter turnout was 65.2%. In 1954, the PNP expelled Richard Hart, a
Marxist Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialecti ...
, and three other PNP members for their (alleged) communist views. The other three members were Frank Hill, Ken Hill and Arthur Henry, and they were collectively referred to as "the four Hs". Under "the four Hs", the unions they officered had the largest following of any union outside of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union. Hart and the other members of "the four Hs" were very active in the trade union movement in Jamaica. In the 1940s and 1950s. Hart worked as a member of the Executive Committee of the Trade Union Council from 1946 to 1948. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Caribbean Labour Congress from 1945 to 1946 and Assistant Secretary from 1947 to 1953. The expulsion of the 'Four Hs' signalled a parting of ways between the PNP and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), which was aligned to the PNP. The National Workers Union (NWU) effectively filled the vacuum left by the TUC. The PNP came to office 1955, and held power until just before independence in 1962. In the
1955 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 12 January 1955.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 18 of the 32 seats. Voter turnout wa ...
, the PNP won for the first time, securing 18 out of 32 seats. The JLP ended up with 14 seats, and there were no independents. The voter turnout with 65.1%. As a result, Norman Manley became the new chief minister. The
1959 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 28 July 1959.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 29 of the 45 seats. Voter turnout was 6 ...
was held on 28 July 1959, and the number of seats was increased to 45. The PNP secured a wider margin of victory, taking 29 seats to the JLP's 16. Manley was appointed Jamaica's first premier on 14 August 1959. During this period of government, it promoted actively reformist social democratic policies, including opening secondary education to many poorer Jamaicans through state funding of scholarships. In the 1961 Federation membership referendum Jamaica voted 54% to leave the West Indies Federation. After losing the referendum, Manley took Jamaica to the polls in April 1962, to secure a mandate for the island's independence. On 10 April 1962, of the 45 seats up for contention in the
1962 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 10 April 1962.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the Jamaica Labour Party, which won 26 of the 45 seats. Voter turnout was 72. ...
, the JLP won 26 seats and the PNP 19. The voter turnout was 72.9%. This resulted in the independence of Jamaica on 6 August 1962, and several other British colonies in the West Indies followed suit in the next decade. Bustamante had replaced Manley as premier between April and August, and on independence, he became Jamaica's first prime minister.


Independent Jamaica

On 21 February, in the
1967 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 21 February 1967.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the Jamaica Labour Party, which won 33 of the 53 seats. Voter turnout was ...
, the JLP were victorious again, winning 33 out of 53 seats, with the PNP taking 20 seats.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook'', Volume I, p. 430. In 1972, under the leadership of Norman Manley's son
Michael Manley Michael Norman Manley (10 December 1924 – 6 March 1997) was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist program, and has been ...
, the PNP returned to office committed to
democratic socialism Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within ...
and a foreign policy focused on strengthening relations with the
Global South The concept of Global North and Global South (or North–South divide in a global context) is used to describe a grouping of countries along socio-economic and political characteristics. The Global South is a term often used to identify region ...
. The PNP won 37 seats to the JLP's 16. In the
1976 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 15 December 1976. Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 The result was a victory for the People's National Party The People's National Party (PNP) is a ...
, the PNP won another landslide, winning 47 seats to the JLP's 13. The turnout was a very high 85 percent. In
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...
, after several years characterised by inflation and rising unemployment, the JLP led by Edward Seaga overwhelmingly defeated the PNP in a campaign noteworthy for its alarming level of violence. The JLP won 51 seats to the PNP's nine seats. Manley led the party in a boycott of the
snap election A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been scheduled. Generally, a snap election in a parliamentary system (the dissolution of parliament) is called to capitalize on an unusual electoral opportunity or to ...
called in 1983. The party was absent from parliament for more than five years. The PNP was returned to office under Manley's leadership in
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
, winning 45 seats to the JLP's 15. Manley retired from politics in 1992, and was replaced as party leader by
P. J. Patterson Percival Noel James Patterson, popularly known as P.J. Patterson (born 10 April 1935), is a Jamaican former politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1992 to 2006. He served in office for 14 years, making him the longe ...
. Patterson led the PNP to victory in 1993,
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
, and
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, becoming the first political leader in Jamaican history to win three successive general elections. In 1993, the PNP won 52 seats to the JLP's eight seats, and in 1997 the PNP won 50 of the 60 seats available. In the 2002 election, held on 16 October 2002, the party won 52.2% of the popular vote and 34 of the 60 seats in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p430 On 26 February 2006,
Portia Simpson-Miller Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945) is a Jamaican politician. She served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2006 to September 2007 and again from 5 January 2012 to 3 March 2016. She was the leader of the People's Nationa ...
was elected as Patterson's successor, becoming the first female president of the PNP, and became the first female Prime Minister of Jamaica. The PNP lost the August 2007 election to the JLP by a narrow margin of 32 seats to 28, with a turnout of 61.46%. This election ended 18 years of PNP rule, and Bruce Golding became the new prime minister. In the 29 December 2011 general election, the PNP was returned to power with 42 of the 63 seats in Jamaica's parliament. At first, 41 seats were counted in favour of the PNP. A recount with official results cost the former agriculture minister,
Christopher Tufton Christopher Tufton is a Jamaican politician. A member of the governing Jamaica Labour Party, and Jamaica's Minister of Health and Wellness. He previously served as the Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce from July 2011 to December 2011 ...
, his seat, putting the PNP at 42 and the JLP at 21. The number of seats had been increased to 63, and the voter turnout was 53.17%. On 5 January 2012, Portia Simpson-Miller was sworn in as Prime Minister for the second time in her political career. On the following day, she assigned 20 cabinet ministers to various ministries, and eight state ministers. In the
2016 Jamaican general election General elections were held in Jamaica on 25 February 2016. The elections were largely a contest between the governing People's National Party (PNP) and the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). The result was a narrow victory for the JLP, which ...
on 25 February, Simpson-Miller lost to
Andrew Holness Andrew Michael Holness, (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election. Holness previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to ...
by a narrow margin. A recount granted the PNP an additional seat, resulting in a one-seat loss. The PNP won 31 seats to the JLP's 32. As a result, Simpson-Miller became Opposition Leader for a second time. The voter turnout dipped below 50% for the first time, registering just 48.37%. Following calls from within her own party for her to step down as party leader, Simpson-Miller announced she would not seek re-election on 4 December 2016. She was replaced by Peter Phillips, the Shadow Minister of Finance and former rival, on 26 March 2017. She stepped down as an MP in June 2017. In the September 2020 general elections, the PNP returned to the opposition benches winning a paltry 14 of the 63 seats in the Jamaican parliament in what was described as a political carnage toppling the hierarchy of the PNP. Many senior and well-established party members lost their seats, including
Peter Bunting Peter Murcott Bunting, MP (born 7 September 1960) was the fifth National Security Minister of Jamaica (Jan 2012 - Feb 2016) and the Former Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Central Manchester. Bunting was the General Secre ...
, Dayton Campbell,
Fenton Ferguson Fenton Rudyard Ferguson is a Jamaican politician with the People's National Party. He began serving as Jamaica's Minister of labor and social security under Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller in 2012. He is a dental surgeon. Fenton Ferguson was ...
,
Horace Dalley Horace Washington Dalley (born December 17, 1954) is a Jamaican educator and politician, representing the People's National Party (PNP). He was Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Clarendon Northern, serving from 1989 to 2007, an ...
,
Ian Hayles Ian Dave Hayles (born 1972) is a Jamaican politician with the People's National Party. He was a Member of the Parliament of Jamaica since 2007 before losing his seat to Jamaica Labour Party Candidate and Attorney-at-Law, Tamika Davis, at the 2020 ...
, Luther Buchanan,
Wykeham McNeill Kenneth Wykeham McNeill, MD, MP, CD (born October 1957 in Kingston, St. Andrew Parish) is a Jamaican politician, former Member of Parliament for Westmoreland West, Jamaica. He is a former government minister. He was the Minister of Touris ...
, Dwayne Vaz and Richard Azan. On 4 September 2020 Peter Phillips announced that he would step down as Opposition Leader and retire from representational politics. The turnout at this election was just 37%, probably affected by the coronavirus pandemic. On 7 November 2020 the PNP elected Mark Golding as its 6th President after he defeated challenger Lisa Hanna in the
2020 People's National Party leadership election The 2020 People's National Party, People's National Party (PNP) leadership election was triggered after Peter Phillips (politician), Peter Phillips announced his intention to resign as Leader of the People's National Party following the party's ...
by 1,740 votes to 1,444.''Barbados Today'', "Mark Golding wins presidential race for opposition party in Jamaica", 8 November 2020 https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/11/08/mark-golding-wins-presidential-race-for-opposition-party-in-jamaica/ Retrieved 22 December 2020.


Political positions

The party adheres to
social democracy Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote s ...
and
republicanism Republicanism is a political ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic. Historically, it emphasises the idea of self-rule and ranges from the rule of a representative minority or oligarchy to popular sovereignty. ...
, and is an observer member of the
Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism. It consists mostly of socialist and labour-oriented political parties and organisation ...
.


Electoral performance


House of Representatives


West Indies


List of party presidents

*
Osmond Theodore Fairclough The People's National Party (PNP) is a social-democratic political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives, as 96 of the 227 local g ...
(
Founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...
) (1938) * Norman Manley (1938–1969) *
Michael Manley Michael Norman Manley (10 December 1924 – 6 March 1997) was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist program, and has been ...
(1969–1992) * Percival James Patterson (1992–2006) *
Portia Simpson-Miller Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller (born 12 December 1945) is a Jamaican politician. She served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2006 to September 2007 and again from 5 January 2012 to 3 March 2016. She was the leader of the People's Nationa ...
(2006–2017) * Peter Phillips (2017–2020) * Mark Golding (2020 – present)


References


External links


Official PNP websiteParty manifesto
(
PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
file; free download of reader availabl
here


{{Authority control Full member parties of the Socialist International Political parties established in 1938 1938 establishments in Jamaica Political parties in Jamaica Republican parties Republicanism in Jamaica Social democratic parties Socialist parties in North America