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1 1 (September 23, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govegkm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congre s na Re earch SerVic inforrning the iegislyv debt sine 1.914 Updated September 23, 2021 Jamaica Political and Economic Environment Jamaica, the most populous English-speaking Caribbean nation, has had a relatively stable parliamentary political system stemming from its history of British colonial rule, though extensive political violence often marred elections in the 1970s and 1980s. Two political parties-the center- left People's National Party (PNP) and the center-right Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)-have dominated the political system since before the country's 1962 independence. Figure 1. Jamaica Map Current Prime Minister Andrew Holness of the JLP was first elected in 2016 when his party defeated the PNP, led by then-Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, who had led the government since 2011. Holness and the JLP won a second term in September 2020 in which the party substantially increased its representation in parliament from a slim majority to control 49 out of 63 seats in the House of Representatives. Although turnout was low, Holness's popularity reportedly helped secure the JLP's victory. The Jamaican economy, which is heavily dependent on services, especially tourism, has been hard hit by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Even before the pandemic, the World Bank characterized Jamaica as an upper-middle-income country struggling due to low growth; high public debt; exposure to natural disasters, such as hurricanes and flooding; and the effects of climate change. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the economy contracted an estimated 10.2% in 2020 and is projected to grow 1.5% in 2021 and 5.7% in 2022. Tourist arrivals fell significantly because of the pandemic. Remittances from Jamaicans abroad are an important source of income and, despite the pandemic, grew nearly 20% in 2020 to about $2.9 billion. Jamaica had been making progress since 2013 in implementing an ambitious economic reform program- supported by the IMF, World Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank-that helped reduce the country's high levels of public debt. As a result, public debt fell below 100% of GDP in 2019 and was expected to decline to below 60% by 2026, according to the World Bank. The pandemic set back Jamaica's austerity plans, as the government moved to protect the economy and vulnerable groups through increased spending and increased financing provided by the IMF, World Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank. Public debt is now estimated at 106% of GDP but is expected to fall once again as the economy recovers. Jamaica at a Glance Population: 2.7 million (2020, IMF est.). Area: 4,244 million square miles, slightly smaller than Connecticut. GDP: $13.95 billion (2020, current prices, IMF est.). Real GDP Growth (constant prices): 1.0% (2019); -10.2% (2020 est.); 1.5%, (2021, projected). (IMF) Per Capita GDP: $5.096 (2020, current prices, IMF est.). U.S. Trade: U.S. Imports, $384 million; U.S. Exports, $1.7 billion (2020, DOC) Legislature: Bicameral Parliament, with 63-member elected House of Representatives and 21-member appointed Senate. Sources: International Monetary Fund (IMF) and U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), as presented by Trade Data Monitor. As of September 23, 2021, Jamaica reported over 1,800 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with a mortality rate of 61 per 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. The country experienced a third wave of cases in July 2021 that only began to decline in September. Vaccine accessibility and rollout in Jamaica have been slow compared with most other Caribbean countries. As of September 23, Jamaica had fully vaccinated 7.4% of its population. To date, Jamaica has received almost 528,000 vaccine doses through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility, a mechanism developed by global health organizations to facilitate equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccine hesitancy has been a significant challenge. High rates of crime and violence have plagued Jamaica for many years. Since the 1990s, much of the violent crime has been associated with drug trafficking and related intra-gang and inter-gang feuds. The inflow of illegal firearms also has been a factor. In 2020, although Jamaica's 1,301 homicides were a slight decline from the previous year and a significant improvement from earlier years, the country still had the highest homicide rate-45.5 per 100,000 people- in all of Latin America and the Caribbean, according to Insight Crime. Violent crime has increased further in 2021.

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