In a close and tense general election fraught with fears of political violence, Jamaicans today voted for politicians promising to stem spiralling crime and kick-start a sluggish economy.

In a close and tense general election fraught with fears of political violence, more than one million Jamaicans are expected to vote today for politicians promising to stem spiralling crime and kick-start a sluggish economy.

The toll of days of firefights between police and opposition supporters was marked in Jamaica by streets stained with blood, the hulks of burned-out vehicles, and the heat-bloated body of an elderly man, who had been shot in the back.

Four people were killed in a gun battle between police and gang members in Jamaica’s capital Kingston, police said today.