ECJ Opens Portmore Boundary Talks After Parish Status Law

The Electoral Commission of Jamaica has started discussions on proposed changes to electoral boundaries arising from Portmore’s move toward parish status, as officials work to bring constituency lines in line with the Constitution.

The commission gave the update in a statement on Tuesday, after a joint consultation session on Friday, May 29, with the Parish Boundary Advisory Committee and the Parish Boundary Forum for Portmore and St Catherine.

According to the ECJ, roughly 70 people took part in the meeting. The group included political representatives, ECJ officials, Electoral Office of Jamaica personnel, volunteers and other stakeholders.

The commission said the exercise is part of a formal process, guided by constitutional requirements, to test whether the suggested boundary revisions are accurate, practical and lawful.

Director of Elections Glasspole Brown said the consultation represented a major stage in the review. He said the ECJ was putting forward technical options shaped by geographic information system analysis and feedback from stakeholders, and that comments from the session would be assessed before recommendations are sent to the Parliamentary Boundaries Committee for review and a decision.

GIS Manager Remoski Russell led the main technical presentation. He explained the proposed constituency adjustments and the method being used to guide the boundary review.

The ECJ said four constituencies would be touched by the proposed realignment: St Catherine South Eastern, St Catherine East Central, St Catherine Southern and St Catherine South Central.

The review comes after Parliament passed legislation in February 2025 to give Portmore parish status, making it Jamaica’s 15th parish.

The commission said the work is being done under Section 67 of the Constitution, which bars constituency boundaries from running across parish borders.

The ECJ said the process includes GIS-based assessment, consultation with stakeholders and technical checks before final proposals are placed before Parliament for consideration.

It said the aim is to meet constitutional standards while preserving fairness and accuracy in how voters are represented.

The commission also said it remains committed to an open, consultative and evidence-led approach intended to improve the administration of elections.

The Portmore parish law quickly drew a court challenge from the Opposition People’s National Party, which alleged that the Government was trying to force through boundary changes contrary to constitutional rules. The Government has denied those allegations.

In a late March 2025 ruling, Chief Justice Bryan Sykes noted the Government’s clear undertaking that the legislation would not be brought into effect until it complied with Section 67 of the Constitution. That position effectively paused implementation while the required boundary review and ECJ consultations take place.

Portmore is regarded as the largest residential community in the English-speaking Caribbean.