By Lorraine Mendez
After just over a year of operating without a political ombudsman and the controversial passage of legislation for the Electoral Commission of Jamaica to assume the duties of referee, the office is now in operation.
The Ministry of Justice has indicated that The Political Ombudsman (Interim) (Amendment) Act, 2024 was gazetted Tuesday and is now law.
The legislation allows for the subsuming of the role of political ombudsman into the office of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.
According to the Justice Ministry, the consolidation of these two critical offices is expected to promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the electoral process and to guide the conduct of political parties, their members and supporters.
But the move will no doubt be closely observed by watchdog groups and the parliamentary opposition who have expressed concern that it could interfere with the work of the Electoral Commission.
The Office of the Political Ombudsman had been vacant since November 2022, when the term of then office holder, Donna Parchment Brown, expired.
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