Republicanism in Jamaica required for independence, the popularity of the Royal Family amongst Jamaicans, and tendencies towards Anglophilia among the political elites. The first Jamaican prime minister to make steps towards a republic was Michael Manley, whose People's National Party (PNP) came to power at the 1972 general election. His government established a commission into constitutional reform in 1975, and in July 1977, following a march to commemorate the Morant Bay rebellion, Manley announced that Jamaica would become a republic by 1981. However, his government was defeated at the 1980 general election by the more conservative Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), led by Edward
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