Jamaica Labour Party come out on top in the first ballot, with Shearer and Robert Lightbourne being the other candidates. Under Shearer, the JLP lost power for the first time to the People's National Party and Michael Manley in 1972. Shearer served as Opposition Leader until 1974. Bustamante finally gave up the post of party leader in 1974, and Edward Seaga was elected his successor. The party lost the 1976 elections, but Seaga became Prime Minister after victory in 1980 when the party won by a landslide, capturing 51 of the then 60 parliamentary seats. In 1983 with the JLP achieving a spike
Elections in Jamaica Elections in Jamaica Elections in Jamaica provides information on elections and election results in Jamaica. The Parliament of Jamaica has two chambers: Jamaica effectively has a two-party system: there are two dominant political parties, and it is difficult for other parties to achieve electoral success. Though the years are fixed due to the five-year term of the prime minister, the date of the election is traditionally announced by the ruling party a few months in advance. Recently, there has been debate over whether this "flexible date" system is the best for Jamaica, or whether the government should switch to a