CHANG… appointing independent candidates with ties will win all four. against the PNP shows an element of mischief and disrespect towards the voters
About 75,000 Jamaicans are eligible to vote in four by-elections today and the ruling Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) is confident it will win all four elections.
But the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is equally confident of winning the two by-elections it is contesting.
Voters in St Andrew North Western and Trelawny Southern will go to the polls to elect new MPs, while voters in Aenon Town, Clarendon; and Morant Bay, St Thomas, will vote for new councillors.
The PNP has chosen not to nominate candidates for the parliamentary elections, but has nominated candidates for the two local government elections.
On Thursday, JLP Secretary General Dr. Horace Chang believes the PNP has proxies in the parliamentary races through independent candidates Lloyd “Mozy” Gillings (Trelawny Southern), Rohan Banks and Carl Marshall (St Andrew North Western).
“There is no doubt that the Jamaica Labor Party will have the two MPs,” Chang stated while responding to questions at a media briefing convened by the JLP to announce plans for the 81st annual conference to be held this Sunday .
“The opposition’s activities reflect their tendency to look for cheap shots and gimmicks to attract people’s attention,” Chang added, noting that each of the candidates nominated as independents are current members of the Being PNP and having represented the party. in controversial elections in the past.
According to Chang, the appointment of independent candidates with ties to the PNP shows an element of mischief and disrespect towards voters, but this has pushed people to support the two JLP candidates – Duane Smith in St. Andrew North Western and Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert in Trelawny South.
“The Jamaica Labor Party organization is strong, working hard and we look forward to four successes tomorrow (today),” Chang stated.
But PNP Secretary General Dr. Dayton Campbell told the Jamaican observer Thursday that his party’s candidates are ready for victory in the municipal elections.
“If Dr. Chang believes the JLP will win all four by-elections, he is delusional,” Campbell declared.
“We have been to Aenon Town and Morant Bay, we have our full workforce, they are fully engaged, enthusiastic, and we have done our work to put together our canvas, which is a winnable target and we expect to win both divisions tomorrow (today) quite comfortably,” added Campbell, who said a double victory for the PNP would send a message to the government.
“The message is being sent. We understand our mission,” Campbell joked.
A fierce battle is expected in the Morant Bay Division between the PNP’s Rosemarie Shaw, a political veteran, and the JLP’s neophyte, Winston Downie.
In the battle for the Aenon Town Division, the PNP and the JLP have made it clear that they will leave no stone unturned in their quest for victory.
The Aenon Town Division, a traditional PNP stronghold, was flipped by the JLP’s Marjorie McLeod-McFarlane in the local government elections in February this year, making it only the second time the party has won that division.
McLeod-McFarlane’s death forced these by-elections, in which the PNP’s Delroy Dawson – a former division councilor – and the JLP’s Suzette Barton will contest for the right to represent the division.
In the race for the two seats in Parliament, Banks has indicated he has withdrawn from the election in St Andrew North Western – even though his name will be on the ballot paper today – while Marshall has claimed he is contesting the seat alone but to give voters a choice.
But there has been no such concession from Gillings, who has predicted he will collect at least 3,000 votes to win the seat and become the next MP for Trelawny Southern.
“I know I may be a David, but I believe I am the right person to bring South Trelawny back to where it was. As you know, everyone expects a low turnout in the elections. We are looking for a reasonable amount to win. We are looking at between 3,000, 4,000 and 3,500 votes,” Gillings told the Observer after his appointment.
The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) has indicated it is ready for today’s by-elections, which will see 271 polling stations open.
According to the EOJ, 74,700 voters will be eligible to vote based on the electoral roll of May 31, 2024.
Only voters registered to vote in these constituencies and electoral divisions are allowed to vote in the by-elections.
The polling stations open at 7 a.m. and close at 5 p.m., after which the preliminary counting of ballots will immediately take place.
Voters have been reminded to take their voter ID card with them to the polling station.
Voters are entitled to three hours off work to vote in the midterm elections. The three hours are in addition to the usual lunch hour. However, the law does not apply to people who start working at 10 a.m. or later or stop working at or before 2 p.m.
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