The youth arm of the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Young Jamaica, is calling on President of the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) Mark Golding to prioritise the needs of the country.

This follows concerns raised by the PNP about the Electoral Commission of Jamaica’s (ECJ) reporting of the local government election result.

According to the Electoral Office of Jamaica, the JLP secured wins for municipal corporations in seven parishes. In comparison, the EOJ said the PNP claimed only five parishes, with the battle for the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation concluding in a tie.

“Young Jamaica is concerned but hardly surprised with the recent fallacious social media posts circulated by the PNP, which are deliberate attempts to escalate tensions surrounding the electoral process and sow seeds of confusion among Jamaican citizens. Such actions not only fall short of expectations of a modern political party but also undermine the integrity of our democratic system,” said JLP affiliate in a statement on Friday, March 1.

“We strongly urge the PNP President Mark Golding to accept the election results with humility and gracefully concede defeat at the polls. Over the past four election cycles, the will of the Jamaican people have been made clear in consistently rejecting the PNP’s leadership, either at the local or central government levels,” the group added.

The group further called on the PNP to prioritise the nation’s interests above propaganda and engage in constructive actions for the betterment of Jamaica.