Election Day 2025 in St Catherine North Central was charged with excitement, but at Crescent Primary School, the real winner was friendship.
The schoolyard was dotted with orange and green, each side firmly committed to its party. Yet the atmosphere was one of laughter, respect, and unity. For voters, politics had its place, but not at the expense of community ties.
“Today is for the vote,” Ricardo, a voter, told Freedom Come Rain. “Tomorrow is the same way, because we and them live like bredda. No PNP (People’s National Party) fight; we nuh fight politics war a road. We live as one; we love one another. After today, we are one, and nothing changes. We can’t let one day turn us against our friends.” His comments drew nods and chuckles from those nearby, with one woman adding, “You mad? We can’t make politics come between us!”
Nearby, the banter continued. A comrade dressed in black teased that he was “mourning” the JLP (Jamaica Labour Party), a quick retort after a Labourite supporter claimed his party would win and he would have to take care of him for a year. The exchange ended not in hostility but in laughter, proof that unity remained stronger than rivalry.
A standout moment came when an SUV motor vehicle pulled up and two men—one wearing green, the other orange—spotted each other. They rushed forward, fists colliding in greeting as smiles spread across their faces. The crowd watching broke into cheers.
The same spirit prevailed in West Central St Andrew at the Tower Hill Missionary Basic School, where the supervisor for PD 54 A and B reported, “Everybody living peacefully, the PNP engaging with the JLP, no violence.”
Over by Gregory Park in Portmore, which was heavily manned by police, voters supporting both parties mingled and seemed very reluctant to leave the polling stations in the division. Incumbent Alando Terrelonge will be going for a third term with the aim of besting the challenge from Raymond Pryce – there was great rivalry, but the ‘knocking fists’ and interactions continued there as well.
For the most part election day 2025 was written in the bonds of friendship, making it a win before the poll results were even out. According to the police, this year’s election was peaceful.