By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaicans head to voting stations today in the country’s 16th general election, with the ruling Jamaica Labour Party and opposition People’s National Party facing off to determine the country’s next government.

It has been an intense, and sometimes violent campaign since Dec. 4, when Prime Minister Holness called the election at a party rally in Mandeville.

Holness, who, at 39, is the youngest Prime Minister in the country’s history, squares off against former Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller.

For most Jamaican voters, it’s the economy that’s on their minds, according to many of the candidates CJ Politics spoke to during the last three weeks.

CARICOM has observers in the country monitoring the vote.

To see more about the Jamaican election, check out CJ’s special Jamaica’s Election 2011 section here.