KINGSTON, Jamaica — All candidates who have been confirmed as having won divisions in the November 28 Local Government elections, will be sworn into office as councillors on Thursday, December 8.

According to Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, all 228 councillors and the mayor of Portmore will take their places on that day, at the first statutory meeting of their respective municipal corporations.

The Ministry of Local Government, in a release today, said that Section 61, paragraph 1 of The Local Governance Act, 2016 states that at noon on the first Thursday after every election (unless it be a public holiday, in which case at noon on the first day after such Thursday, which is not a public holiday or a Sunday), in this section called the “first meeting”, the councillors elected in the divisions in the area within the jurisdiction of each municipal corporation, shall assemble at the office of the council for that municipal corporation, and shall there make the required declaration in the prescribed form before the principal returning officer.

The ministry said it is aware that some municipal corporations have stated plans for swearing in to occur on Friday, December 2.

It added, however, that various returning officers have indicated that the final count of ballots in the electoral divisions will not be completed in time to facilitate that date.

According to the ministry advice was obtained from the Attorney General’s Chambers, to the effect that the first Thursday of the week following the election of councillors (December 8, 2016) will be the date of the first statutory meeting.

The ministry said that McKenzie will convene an introductory meeting with all councillors and the mayor of Portmore on Monday, December 12, to discuss and outline the critical cultural and technical changes that the three strategic laws required of elected representatives, as well as the strategic objectives of the ministry for the administration of Local Government over the new term.