JLP retains SE St Mary seat in magisterial recount
PORT MARIA, St Mary – The Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Tarn Peralto kept his majority over the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Harry Douglas after the magisterial recount for the South Eastern St Mary seat ended at the Port Maria courthouse yesterday.
Peralto tallied 6,960 votes to Douglas’ 6,923 for a 37-vote victory, an increase of three over the previous amount announced after the recount last week.
Douglas, who was declared the winner after the initial count on election night, had sought the magisterial recount because of the closeness of the result.
Yesterday’s result means that the seat count from last week’s general elections remain JLP 33 and PNP 27, at least for now.
In the meantime, the Electoral Office of Jamaica is to make a decision regarding two ballot boxes for the constituency which were not included in the official count.
Returning officer, Robert Webster, said Peralto is the declared winner until he is otherwise advised.
