The third General Parliamentary Elections were held in Jamaica on 12 January 1955 for all 32 seats in the House of Representatives.

Electoral System

The 32 members of the House of Representatives are elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting. There is no fixed election date in effect in Jamaica at this time; hence, the choice of election date is the prerogative of the Chief Minister.

Political Parties & Candidates

A total of 86 candidates contested the election. The People's National Party (PNP) presented a full slate of 32 candidates; while the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) presented 31 candidates.. There were also four indendent candidates and 19 candidates from minor parties.

Results

The PNP won for the first time, with a poll of 50.5% of the vote and a total of 18 of 32 seats compared to the JLP's 39.1% of the vote and 14 seats. The Hon. Norman Manley became the second person to become Chief Minister.

In 1957 the Executive Council was replaced by the Council of Ministers which had 12 members, 10 of whom were chosen from the elected members and 2 from the Legislative Council and was presided over by the Chief Minister.

Voter Turnout

Voter turnout was 65.11%.