A “Giant Step” for Jamaican Elections

By: - December 15th, 2011

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Jamaica’s political parties, along with the media, the Broadcasting Commission and the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, have agreed to cease broadcasting and publication of political ads and opinion polls for one full day before the Dec. 29 general election.

The agreement was announced yesterday in New Kingston.

“They therefore create, for the first time in Jamaica, a campaign-free period of at least one full day ahead of voting,” said Professor Hopeton Dunn, chairman of the Broadcasting Commission. “This means that all electronic media organisations will stop carrying political campaign ads from midnight on December 27 through the to the opening of the polls at 7AM on Dec. 29.”

The parties have also agreed that no results from any new opinion polls or of any unscientific opinion survey will be released to the public within 48 hours of the start of voting.

Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica Professor Errol Miller said the voluntary agreement represented a “small step for the two Commissions, one giant step for the country.”

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