PNP goes to court to block Portmore parish law

The Opposition People's National Party (PNP) has gone to court to challenge the law that makes Portmore a parish.

This was disclosed in Parliament this afternoon by Opposition Leader Mark Golding.

In February, the Government used its majority in the legislature to pass the legislation making Portmore Jamaica's 15th parish, despite concerns by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) that it could be in breach of the Constitution.

Golding told Parliament that the PNP filed a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court on Monday seeking to have the law struck down.

"We regard the pursuit of this legislation as a dangerous affront to our democracy, which must be vigorously resisted by all lawful means at our disposal," Golding said during his contribution to the 2025-2026 Budget Debate in Parliament on Tuesday.

The ECJ warned, in a letter to Parliament and the Ministry of Local Government, that the proposed Portmore parish boundary "may negatively" affect a provision of the Constitution.

"The boundary of a constituency shall not cross the boundary of a parish as delimited by the Counties and Parishes Act or by any law amending or replacing that law," the ECJ said, quoting the constitutional provision.

The National Identification and Registration Act was initially declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in 2017, ending a lawsuit filed by Opposition Member of Parliament Julian Robinson.

The PNP also unsuccessfully challenged a constitutional amendment enacted by the Government that raised the age of retirement for the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Auditor General.

- Livern Barrett

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