In Jamaica, government to review two-thirds voting threshold for extending states of emergency

Charging that the two-thirds voting majority bar for the extension of states of emergency (SOE) poses a significant challenge and may be used as a political ploy, the Government signalled on [9 January] that it was reviewing the requirement as part of wider constitutional reform of the Emergency Powers Regulations. [...] Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed unease with the current provision, suggesting that it could cause difficulties for the Government, referencing the SOEs imposed in seven police divisions which collapsed in November 2021 after a three-month extension bid scuppered in the Senate. [...] According to [Opposition Spokesman on National Security Peter Bunting], the opposition stated that it would support the use of the military, as permitted by law, in geographic areas where the homicide rate is above 32 per 100,000. That recommendation, said Bunting, did not translate to the deployment of the military with emergency powers. [...] “The Opposition has repeatedly stated that it will not be supporting an unlawful declaration of SOEs or the unlawful use of the military.”
Read the full article here: Jamaica Gleaner