Conclusion

• Author: Amanda Sives
• Profession: Lecturer in Politics at the University of Liverpool
• Pages: 171-180

CONCLUSION 171 171

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This book began with reference to the 2007 general election and it seems

appropriate, before drawing some final conclusions, to assess levels and impact

of partisan political violence in the most recent campaign.

The 2007 general election sparked a great deal of excitement — both parties

had new leaders, one of whom for the first time was a woman, the election was

postponed for a week in the wake of Hurricane Dean, the JLP ran an expensive

and innovative advertising campaign and electronic voting was introduced in

691 of the 6,381 polling stations. The campaign officially began with the naming

of the date on July 7, 2007. Mrs Simpson-Miller surprised commentators (and

those within her own party) by opting for a date at the end of August (27th).

This made it one of the longest campaigns in recent years.

After 18 years in power, the PNP entered the electoral race in a very strong

position. The change of leadership in March 2006, when P. J. Patterson resigned

from active politics, reinvigorated the party and, more importantly, saw its

popularity soar in the polls. The new leader, Portia Simpson Miller, had won a

bruising campaign against three senior party figures, although her margin of

victory over her nearest rival, Peter Phillips, was small (46.7 per cent compared

to 40.5 per cent). The campaign for PNP leadership had been publicly divisive

and the party entered the election surrounded by the perception it was not

united. In addition, it had difficulty raising funds and the campaign message

was not coherent. The JLP, also under new leadership following the retirement

of Edward Seaga in 2005, was more united, better funded and had a stronger

campaign message. Bruce Golding had not faced competition for leadership of

the party, and those disgruntled with him had left the party before the election

campaign began. Opinion polls showed the election was close and either party

could have won. The results highlight this — the JLP won with 50.26 per cent

of the vote compared to 46.63 per cent for the PNP.

Conclusion