The National Democratic Movement (NDM) is a small conservative political party in Jamaica, led by Earle DeLisser. In the 29 December 2011 elections, the party gained 265 votes, but won no seats.
The NDM was formed in 1995 by Brascoe Lee & Bobby Marsh. Bruce Golding was invited to become the first President. Golding was formerly the chairman of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) before he and others felt the need to split. In their 1997 manifesto, the party expresses the reasons why they felt the need to break from the Jamaica Labour Party. Namely, they believed that after gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1962, Jamaicans had suffered from the harsh combination of a stagnant economy and a rapidly growing population. They believed that the Jamaican people needed major reform in order to create a more equitable, stable society. The party made its presence known in the General Election in December 1997. Although the two main political parties of Jamaica received the majority of votes, the National Democratic Movement received the most votes of all minor parties in each constituency.
Golding rejoined the JLP in 2002 and went on to serve as JLP leader and Prime Minister.
Now the NDM acts more as a medium for discussion than as a threat to the two major political parties of Jamaica, the JLP and People’s National Party (PNP). On August 26, 2003, Michael Williams, the General Secretary of the NDM wrote an article in the Jamaica Gleaner addressing the party’s performance in recent elections and their vision for the future and assured Jamaicans that “We will continue to promote our vision of Unity, Hope and Prosperity for Jamaicans and ‘a new day and a new way and a new Jamaica’.” The current Chairman of the NDM is Peter Townsend.
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