Ruling Party Wins Close National Vote

Jamaica’s ruling People’s National Party won a closely contested national election, claiming a fourth consecutive term in a vote largely free of the violence of past elections. Unofficial results showed the PNP won 35 seats to 25 for the opposition Jamaica Labor Party.

But the results represented a PNP loss of 13 seats in the 60-seat House of Representatives, and only a 5% margin in the popular vote, a sign of discontent in a nation plagued by violent crime and a sagging economy. Seven people were shot to death near the town of Rock Hall, but police said the crime was not politically motivated.