Jamaicans will elect a new Government on December 29.

Prime minister and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader, Andrew Holness, announced the date in Mandeville, Central Manchester, last night where thousands of Labourites gathered for a mass meeting.

Nomination day will be December 12.

"Remember, I told you we were not going to trouble your Christmas," Holness told the crowd just after announcing the date. "I want you to have a happy Christmas, a merry Christmas. So we break for the Christmas period, but by the 28th you back on the road, and by the 29th you put your vote in the box, happy New Year, government in place, back on track, ready for work, ready for progress, ready for development, ready for a positive future."

Holness, who became the country's ninth prime minister in September, has long signalled he needed his own mandate and would be seeking that from the people.

In announcing the date of the poll, Holness said: "Green light time."

He then said, "Yuh ready for the teacher?" which was followed by the song "Teacher, teacher, a beg u ring the bell". And he did.

"I checked with the director of elections and he told me that the new list is now published," Holness said.