Court blocks Accompong leadership vote as JLP backers protest in southern St. Catherine

Supporters of the Jamaica Labour Party in southern St. Catherine staged a protest on Saturday, 16 May 2026, calling for the party to replace political caretaker and candidate Delroy Dubney, whom they accuse of weak visibility and poor representation in Portmore and across the constituency.

Residents told CVM News the area lacks advocacy on major projects and that leadership should be present outside election season. One organiser, identified as Miles, said members want the executive to choose a candidate who will work for constituents. Others alleged Dubney does little canvassing, rarely attends community events such as funerals or centenarian celebrations, and is not fit for the role. The party hierarchy was urged to hear their concerns. CVM News said calls to Dubney’s office went unanswered.

In St. Elizabeth, the Supreme Court granted an interim injunction that halts nomination day and a planned leadership election in Accompong until the matter is heard again on 10 June 2026. Attorney Bert Samuels said both sides will argue whether the order should remain, and noted tension between Maroon assertions of sovereignty and obedience to Jamaican court orders. Challengers contend Chief Richard Curry did not follow agreed election procedures and that his term ended in February. Former Accompong foreign affairs minister Priest Alex Morin said the order names Curry and his agents, not the wider electoral machinery; he said nominations proceeded on 15 May without incident and that Jamaica Constabulary Force officers were present.

Hanover’s health department said the risk of hantavirus on the island remains low because the rodent species linked to the strain affecting humans is not found in the Caribbean. Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. Antique Anderson Lavine told the Hanover Municipal Corporation that port health officials are monitoring cruise passengers as a precaution. Anyone arriving from affected countries would be isolated and investigated with regional and international partners if a case were detected.

Tourism operators are weighing a 15 per cent general consumption tax on short-term rentals set to take effect on 1 April 2027. Negril hotelier Winthrop Wellington, who also hosts on Airbnb, said the levy is fair, aligns Jamaica with global practice, and could support future standards in the sector.

St. James police criticised a parish politician who publicly described the 1 January shooting of three people—including a four-year-old—as murder while the Independent Commission of Investigations examines the case. A senior officer told the St. James Municipal Corporation that established processes must be allowed to run their course.

Overseas, reports of a possible United States indictment against 94-year-old Raúl Castro emerged as US intelligence officials met Cuban representatives in Havana. The case is said to relate to the 1996 shooting down of two small aircraft flown by members of a Miami-based opposition group, killing all four aboard. President Donald Trump said, “I don't want to comment on that. Let DOJ comment on it, but they need help as you do.” Some Havana residents defended Cuba’s actions and opposed prosecuting Castro in his old age; Cuban-Americans in Miami’s Little Havana called for political change. Neither Cuba’s foreign ministry nor the US Department of Justice offered immediate comment. Trump has kept a fuel blockade on Cuba amid ongoing talks.