Behind a Manley Victory in Jamaica

On July 29, 1986, elections were held in Jamaica. In that contest the Jamaican people were asked to choose which of 400 or so candidates would represent them at the local or parish level—a process that is roughly equivalent to municipal elections in the United States. Administratively, Jamaica is divided into 14 rural parishes, each having a quasi-governmental body known as the Parish Council, and one extended municipal area that engulfs the capital city of Kingston and its immediately surrounding environs—the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC). So that, taken together, some 187 divisions (or seats) across the island were to be decided.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.