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QUICK FACTS: JAMAICA Size: 10,991 square kilometers Population: 2,780,132 Average annual income: $3,480 USD Population below poverty line: 14.8 percent Life expectancy: 73 years Languages: English, patois English Religions: Protestant, 61 percent; Roman Catholic; other, including some spiritual cults Ethnic groups: African origin, 90.9 percent; East Indian; white; Chinese; mixed; and others (Source: U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook 2008; The World Bank 2006) |
Jamaica
Jamaica's Electoral Advisory Committee twice has invited The Carter Center to observe elections, hoping to deter election-related violence and raise confidence in the electoral process. Building Hope In the 1980s, Jamaica's elections were fraught with widespread violence, during which time hundreds of people were killed. Hoping to deter election-related violence and raise confidence in the electoral process, Jamaica's Electoral Advisory Committee twice has invited The Carter Center to observe its elections. Through these efforts, The Carter Center and the people of Jamaica built hope for a more peaceful democracy.
Waging Peace Building a Model for Transparency Jamaica was one of three countries with which the Carter Center's Americas Program teamed in 1998 to reduce corruption and promote transparency in the Americas. The "Transparency for Growth in the Americas" project also focused initially on Costa Rica and Ecuador under the auspices of the Americas Program. In Jamaica, the program's work focused on ongoing legislative efforts to pass a corruption prevention act and an access-to-information act. The prime minister invited the Center to help inform the public debate about the two acts. Consequently, the Center commissioned an annotated guide to the country's existing legislation against corruption and a comparative study of Jamaican legislation and other similar legislation worldwide. The Center published two guides of expert studies on Jamaica's efforts in corruption prevention and access to information, in 1999 and 2002, and co-sponsored seminars to stimulate debate among Jamaican parliamentarians, citizen groups, media, and the private sector. The Center brought international experts on implementing the new provisions on asset declarations and access to information to advise government officials and citizen groups on utilizing these tools. The Access to Information Act passed in 2002, and implementation began in January 2004. To increase awareness of the law, the Center's project has facilitated workshops for civil servants, civil society organizations, religious groups, the media, and the private sector. The Center also supports Jamaicans for Justice in their monitoring of the Access to Information Act's use and government response. In March 2004, the Center opened a field office to provide programmatic continuity during the implementation and enforcement phases. This office serves as an in- country resource to government and civil society partners. Monitoring Elections Jamaica's Electoral Advisory Committee twice has invited The Carter Center to observe its elections, hoping to deter election-related violence and raise confidence in the electoral process. Jamaica's elections in the 1980s were fraught with widespread violence; the outbreak of violence during the 1980 election killed more than 800 people. In 1997, the first time Jamaica invited international observers, and again in 2002, election-related violence in the "garrison" communities controlled by politically related armed gangs was a concern. Yet, with the presence of observers, both the 1997 and 2002 elections were relatively peaceful. The Center praised the 2002 Jamaica electoral process, noting that Jamaicans' confidence in their election was bolstered by the professionalism of the security forces and the Electoral Office of Jamaica. Other contributing factors to a peaceful election were the institution of the Elections Centre, which allowed for the immediate resolution of disputes, and the consultative process used to verify the voters list, determine the location of polling stations, and select poll workers. The Carter Center delegation of 60 observers, led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Costa Rica President Miguel Angel Rodriguez, visited more than 850 polling stations in 29 constituencies. The Center also sent 60 observers to the 1997 elections. The delegation was led by President Carter, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell, champion boxer Evander Holyfield, former Belize Prime Minister George Price, former Costa Rica President Rodrigo Carazo, and former Bolivia President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada. Delegates visited 52 of Jamaica's 60 constituencies and noted reports of small-scale violence. They also noted theft of several ballot boxes and voters unable to cast ballots because their names were missing from registration lists. Based on assessment missions before, during, and after the 1997 election, the Center recommended that Jamaica's electoral process could be improved by: prosecuting "garrison" offenders to deter future violence, setting a deadline for printing and distributing voter ID cards, establishing a process for review of voter registration lists, and completing fingerprint cross matching. Exploring a Hemispheric Agenda Carter Center representatives met with officials in Jamaica as part of a fact-finding tour in January 1997 to prepare for the conference "Agenda for the Americas for the 21st Century." The group included former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, and Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director of the Americas Program. Discussions with Prime Minister Patterson as well as meetings in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile helped to set the agenda for the April 1997 conference. Updated May 2006 Election Reports Observing the 2002 Jamaica Parliamentary Elections (PDF) Observing the 2002 Jamaica Parliamentary Elections: Final Report. Postelection Statement on Jamaica Elections, Oct. 18, 2002 We commend the Jamaican voters for participating peacefully in an election day that was generally free of the violence marring it in the past. The Jamaican people made a clear call for change in the culture of violence, and the candidates have responded. We commend the leaders of the parties for their gracious and statesmanlike speeches last night, for their calls to work together for the good of the country, and for their joint pre-election statement calling for a peaceful election. Pre-election Statement on Jamaica Elections, Oct. 7, 2002 The Carter Center, as part of its continuing observation of the Jamaica electoral process, would like to offer the following interim comments. These are based on the findings of 12 international medium-term observers, who have monitored the electoral process in 24 constituencies throughout the island since nomination day, Sept. 30. Pre-election Statement on Jamaica Elections, Aug. 27, 2002 The Carter Center's second statement on the 2002 parliamentary elections in Jamaica. Pre-election Statement on Jamaica Elections, May 31, 2002 A statement from the Carter Center's pre-election delegation to Jamaica's upcoming parliamentary elections, including observations from the team's initial visit May 26 - May 31, 2002. Fostering Transparency and Preventing Corruption in Jamaica (PDF) Fostering Transparency and Preventing Corruption in Jamaica is a guide for Jamaican citizens and is a Carter Center collaboration with experts from Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United States, and colleagues from Jamaica. Final Report: Observing the 1997 Jamaica Elections, released March 1, 1998 (PDF) At the invitation of Jamaica's Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) and with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), The Carter Center's Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government observed Jamaica's Nov. 12, 1997, elections. Postelection Statement on Jamaica Elections, Dec. 19, 1997 Since we received an invitation to monitor the electoral process on Nov. 12, our group sent pre-election teams and a 60-person delegation to Jamaica. |
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