Jamaica's main opposition party rode a wave of discontent over a bad economy to scoop a big win in the country's general elections, sweeping Portia Simpson Miller back into office.
Despite pre-election surveys forecasting a close and hard-fought race, preliminary official results showed Simpson Miller's People's National Party (PNP) taking about two thirds of the parliamentary seats at stake.
"We will be working with you, as well as Jamaicans of the diaspora, to ensure that we move Jamaica forward," she told celebrating supporters. "We're going to be forming a partnership with you, the Jamaican people, a partnership with the private sector, a partnership with the media, and a partnership with civil society."
She's pledging 'growth and development with job creation' but also alluded to the Caribbean nation's huge debt burden and possible new austerity measures as part of a 1.27 billion dollar bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund.
The election defeat was described by outgoing Prime Minister Andrew Holness as humbling for the governing Jamaica Labour Party. The 39-year-old former education minister had been hoping to keep the party in power for a second consecutive term.
