Jamaica’s general elections were held last

Thursday but the results are far from final.

The September 3 vote saw the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) retain its hold on government for a second term after a massive victory over the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP). The results when the night ended, 49 seats to 14.

The results when this week started, 48 to

15 thanks to a tie in the Westmoreland Eastern constituency which saw the Returning

Officer break the deadlock by pulling the PNP incumbent Luther Buchanan’s name

from a hat which also had the JLP’s Daniel Lawrence.

However, that seat and two others will now

be going to a magisterial recount after the JLP indicated it will challenge the

results which all favoured the PNP.

The other two seats where magisterial

recounts will be done are St Ann South Eastern and St Catherine North Western.

Lisa Hanna was returned as Member of

Parliament in St Ann South Western after three previous wins in the

constituency. Her margin of victory this time was far less in the former PNP

stronghold than in previous polls. The final count saw Hanna defeat the JLP’s

Delroy Granston by 32 votes, 18 more than the preliminary count gave her.

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In the St Catherine North Western Seat, the PNP’s Hugh Graham won by 22 votes when he polled 5,283 to beat the JLP’s Newton Amos. That result will also be challenged by the Andrew Holness-led party