When are Jamaica’s Next Local Government Elections Due?
October 29, 2021

In November 2020, Jamaica’s Parliament extended the life of the local government to a date no later than February 27, 2022.
Those elections were initially due by November 29, 2020, or 4 years after their last staging on November 28, 2016. However, the applicable regulation, the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), permits a 90-day extension which would have allowed for the elections to be held up to the end of February 2021. The Act itself provides the basis for the extension of the life of local government administrations.
Members of Parliament and Senators of the ruling JLP argued in both chambers that in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated financial constraints occasioned by its impact on the nation, the elections should be delayed by a year. The Opposition JLP was in agreement, and consequently the Bill was passed without any amendments.
Subsequently, the Prime Minister has reiterated that the elections will not be held in 2021.