'Ready To Boost India-Jamaica Friendship': PM Modi Congratulates Jamaican PM On Third Term

Last Updated:September 05, 2025, 23:22 IST

PM Modi last met his Jamaican counterpart in October last year when Holness visited New Delhi at the Prime Minister's invitation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Jamaican counterpart Andrew Holness. (PTI file photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness for securing a third term in office.

Taking to X, PM Modi expressed his eagerness to deepen the friendship and cooperation between India and Jamaica.

“Heartiest congratulations to Dr. Andrew Holness on leading the Jamaica Party to victory for the third consecutive time. Looking forward to deepening India-Jamaica bonds of friendship and further strengthening cooperation between our two countries," Modi wrote.

PM Modi last met his Jamaican counterpart in October last year when Holness visited New Delhi at the Prime Minister’s invitation. During that visit, both leaders held a bilateral meeting followed by delegation-level talks. The discussions focused on strengthening ties in key sectors such as defence and energy.

PM Modi’s congratulatory message comes a day after Holness secured his third term following a close election on an island grappling with issues of corruption, inequality, and economic challenges.

Preliminary results showed Holness’ Jamaica Labour Party winning at least 34 seats, while the opposition People’s Party, led by Mark Golding, secured at least 29 seats.

Golding conceded defeat in a brief speech, acknowledging Holness’ success despite his disappointment in the outcome. Other parties contesting the election included the Jamaica Progressive Party, the United Independents’ Congress, and nine independent candidates.

Official voter turnout was 38.8%, slightly higher than the turnout during the 2020 elections held amid the pandemic. Jamaica has just over two million registered voters on an island with a population of around 2.8 million.

The country’s House of Representatives has 63 seats, and the leader of the party winning a majority is appointed Prime Minister. This leader then selects 13 of the 21 senators in the upper chamber, with the opposition choosing the remaining eight.

Under Holness’ leadership, Jamaica has seen a 43% drop in killings so far this year – the largest decline in decades. This improvement is largely credited to the government’s increased firearm seizures and a stronger, coordinated security presence across the island.

(With inputs from AP)

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