OCHO RIOS, St Ann – Nomination day proceedings went smoothly in St Ann and St Mary yesterday as the two major political parties – the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) and the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) – made official their candidates for the August 27 general elections.

No other political parties or independent candidates were nominated in the two parishes.

“Everything went very well,” a spokesperson from the South East St Ann electoral office told the Observer around 2:30 pm, half an hour after the scheduled cut-off time for nominations.

The sentiments were echoed in the other six constituencies in both parishes.

In South East St Ann, newcomer, the PNP’s Lisa Hanna, was accompanied by former government minister and member of parliament Seymour Mullings. She was cheered by hundreds of party supporters as she made her way to the courthouse to be nominated shortly after 10:30 in the morning.

Hanna’s opponent, Peter Fakhourie of the JLP, handed in his nomination after 1:00 o’clock.

In North East St Ann, St Ann’s Bay became a hive of activity as supporters from the two parties, in their party colours, came out in their numbers to support their respective candidate.

The JLP’s Shahine Robinson was the first to be nominated at around 11:30 at the electoral office on Main Street in that town. Robinson showed her strength with hundreds of party supporters, mostly clad in green, marching through the streets of St Ann’s Bay.

Shortly before 1:00 pm, it was time for the PNP to show its strength, as hundreds of party supporters clad in bright orange marched through the streets of the parish capital, preceding the arrival of their candidate, Oswest Senior-Smith.

Senior-Smith, a first-time candidate, was accompanied by Tourism Minister Aloun Assamba, and was nominated at around 1:00 pm.

The fight for the NE St Ann constituency, traditionally a PNP stronghold, is set to be the most keenly fought contest in the parish, as the PNP seeks to wrest the seat from the JLP, which won it in 2001 and repeated the victory in the 2002 general elections.

Candidates for St Ann and St Mary are:

St Ann:

NE – Oswest Senior-Smith (PNP), Shahine Robinson (JLP);

SE – Lisa Hanna (PNP), Peter Fakhourie (JLP);

NW – Dr Michael Whittingham (PNP), Othneil Lawrence (JLP);

SW – Glenville Shaw (PNP), Ernest Smith (JLP);

St Mary:

Central – Morais Guy (PNP), Lennon Richards (JLP);

SE – Harry Douglas (PNP), Tarn Peralto (JLP);

West – Delano Franklyn (PNP), Robert Montague (JLP).