IN an excruciatingly close contest, Bruce Golding ended the near two-decade rule of the People’s National Party (PNP) on September 3, 2007, after a bruising electoral battle that pitted him and his Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) against a populist and first woman prime minister in the nation’s history.

The JLP claimed 31 of the 60 seats up for grabs in what was an acrimonious contest that at times turned deadly. More than four deaths were being linked to political activities on the extended campaign trail leading to the 15th general election since Universal Adult Suffrage when ordinary Jamaicans got the right to vote in 1944.

All the remaining 29 seats went to the PNP, with the usual wipe-out of a collection of splinter parties whose shell-shocked candidates lost their deposit in an election which was marked by an unexpectedly low 60 per cent voter turnout.

But in a speech which left a bad taste in the mouth of the nation, Prime Minister and PNP President Portia Simpson Miller declared she would not concede victory to the JLP, saying the elections were “too close to call” and she would await the official count on September 4.

“…As of now, we are not conceding any victory to the JLP, until the final count tomorrow in various constituencies that we will be watching closely,” Simpson Miller told subdued supporters at the party’s Old Hope Road headquarters in St Andrew.

The PNP leader said too many constituencies were in contention, “too many things took place”, and the PNP was taking advice on certain constitutional issues.

Among those issues, she said, was that some electoral rules were breached, with unnamed persons campaigning on Sunday — within the prohibited 24-hour period before the elections — and “buying votes”, an obvious reference to claims earlier dismissed by Golding that he was out campaigning on Sunday.

Her speech drew immediate comments of disappointment from political analysts who described her stance as that of “a sore loser” and “un-prime ministerial”.

“I don’t like what I am hearing in Jamaica tonight,” said a sombre-looking Lloyd B Smith on TVJ.

“It was not a magnanimous speech,” said Michael Burke, who was on the TVJ panel.

Simpson Miller’s comments closely resembled those by then Opposition Leader Edward Seaga after the 2002 election defeat, although he was less acrimonious, saying that “I am prepared to say at this time that the PNP has the majority of the seats”, but holding out the hope that recounts would give the JLP the edge.

For his part, Golding, who became the eighth prime minister of Jamaica, said he and his party had accepted and respected the decision of the people.

“However perplexing some may find the results, the fact is that the people have spoken,” an obviously cautious Golding said to cheering party supporters at the JLP’s Belmont Road headquarters in St Andrew.

He acknowledged that many seats were won by razor thin margins, including three lost by the JLP by fewer than 100 votes. These would be contested, along with others he did not name.

But he urged the supporters to reach out to the PNP, saying that his government would pursue a policy of constructive engagement. He directed them to celebrate in moderation, noting that the last time they felt that way was in 1980, their last real defeat of the PNP.

But as the hours waned on September 3, Simpson Miller had less reason to celebrate as she saw her dream of a full-fledged mandate evaporating, and though she held the historic title of first woman leader, she was also the second shortest serving Jamaican prime minister — 16 months in office.

On the night, there was no consolation for the PNP president after the vaunted prophecy of victory by Rev Phillip Phinn appeared to have gone awry.

It was a bitter defeat for the woman on whom the PNP pinned all its hope for a fifth consecutive five-year term in office, after their master election strategist, P J Patterson, the former prime minister whom she succeeded, used his considerable clout to back off anti-Portia elements in the party, by declaring her as not only the party’s best hope, but its “only hope” for winning.

Those who said the race was going to be close could not have been more excruciatingly correct. At 9:00 pm the count was 26 seats to the JLP and 25 to the PNP. At 10:00 pm, the count was 28-28. Even when Director of Elections Danville Walker declared the JLP had won 31 to the PNP’s 29 seats, there were still lingering doubts that the elections were over.

“It’s nerve-wracking,” commented television analyst Hermione McKenzie. Two PNP heavyweights were among the biggest losers. They were Health Minister Horace Dalley, who lost his seat to the JLP’s Laurie Broderick in the Northern Clarendon constituency, and Richard Azan, the junior minister of works, who lost his North West Clarendon seat to the JLP’s Michael Stern.

The winners included the electoral office as the system appeared to have held up to the early rush of voting. But the process was not without some glitches that caused longer than usual lines, forcing the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) to keep many polling stations opened beyond the 5:00 pm closing time to facilitate voters.

There were suggestions that the swearing process, lengthened by many voters not having voter ID cards, led to long lines. But so improved was the process that polling results began to emerge within 30 minutes of the polling centres closing, notably in Eastern St Thomas where the PNP’s Fenton Ferguson did battle with the JLP’s Omer Thomas.

Nevertheless, the later closing hours threw out projections by the director of elections that the country would know the results by 8:00 pm. Walker was pleased with the day’s proceedings, saying: “We put on today a good election and we’ll see where it goes from here. We have a lot to be proud of.”

Referring to Simpson Miller’s comments, he noted that the election night counts were preliminary and the official count would come the following day. This could last for two days. He said challenges to the results were expected as part of the process and urged magistrates to be on the ready to conduct magisterial recounts.

The official count eventually resulted in the JLP winning 32 seats to the PNP’s 28.