Mandeville, Manchester — As expected, the People’s National Party (PNP) maintained its parliamentary seat majority in Manchester on February 25.

Mikael Phillips, in Manchester North Western, and Michael Stewart in Manchester Southern won for the PNP, albeit by reduced vote majorities.

In Manchester Central, former National Security Minister Peter Bunting went against the national swing by doubling his vote majority for the PNP, taking 53.1 per cent of the votes to the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) St Aubyn Bartlett’s 46.8 per cent, according to the preliminary vote count.

Bunting’s performance — not least the delivery of a promised call centre in Mandeville — apparently impressed voters.

In Manchester North Eastern, ‘Man-a-yard’ Audley Shaw of the JLP impressively increased his majority over the PNP’s Val Wint despite pre-election whispers of a possible upset. Preliminary figures showed Shaw taking 54.9 per cent of the vote to Wint’s 45 per cent.