CARICOM observer mission applauds Jamaica’s peaceful and well-organised general election

The CARICOM Election Observation Mission (CEOM) has commended Jamaica for its preparation and conduct of the September 3 General Election, noting the absence of voter intimidation or harassment.

This was disclosed by Mission Chief, Fern Narcis, who presented an overview of the country’s electoral process, based on observations at polling stations monitored by her team, during a media briefing on Thursday (September 4) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.

The 11-member CEOM team came to Jamaica on the invitation of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), to observe the electoral process and provide an impartial, independent, and credible assessment.

Prior to the election, the CEOM met with key stakeholders between August 27 and 31 to assess the country’s political climate before deploying six teams to observe polling activities across 36 constituencies in 12 parishes on September 3.

After observing the day’s activities—including the opening of polls, the voting process, poll closure, and ballot counting—Narcis reported that the operations proceeded smoothly, with effective contingencies applied wherever issues arose.

“Jamaica is leading the region in a number of reforms, particularly in relation to registration of political parties and campaign financing,” she said, while highlighting additional areas in which the country serves as a regional benchmark.

These include the Electronic Voter Identification System (EVIS), which the Mission expressed interest in observing firsthand; and the ECJ’s Election Centre, which Narcis noted is regarded by other Caribbean nations as a model of operational excellence.

She highlighted the Centre’s effective role as a central hub for nationwide electoral monitoring and timely, coordinated issue resolution during the polls.

“The Mission’s general assessment of the day’s activities is that the voters were able to cast their ballots without intimidation or harassment and that the results of the General Election of 3rd September 2025 reflected the will of the people of Jamaica and reinforced their commitment to the democratic process,” Narcis stated.

She added that, “there are a number of features in your process that are quite highly commendable, and they work very well; certainly, we were all very excited to see those… and how they operated.”

Narcis indicated that a comprehensive report detailing the Mission’s findings—including recommendations to further strengthen Jamaica’s electoral process—will be prepared and submitted to CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett, prior to public release.

-JIS News

Follow The Gleaner on X and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.