The World - News from Jan. 16, 1989

Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga, the Reagan Administration’s closest ally in the Caribbean, announced a parliamentary election for Feb. 9. Seaga, 58, who is seeking an unprecedented third consecutive four-year term, criticized his main rival, Socialist opposition leader Michael Manley. Seaga, at a Kingston rally, berated Manley’s record and took credit for restoring political stability, economic recovery and international relations. Critics, however, say Seaga’s economic restructuring and austerity measures have neglected social services and that his popularity has continued to fade. It will be Jamaica’s first contested general election since 1980.