On a night when both Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Mark Golding claimed victory in the February 26 local government election, preliminary results showed that the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) had retained six of the island’s 14 municipal corporations, the PNP had won four, while three were tied.

Additionally, with the count of votes incomplete at press time late Monday night, the JLP was leading in 16 divisions, while the PNP was ahead in 14.

The much-prized Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) was one of the contests ending in a tie — 20-20. However, the mayoral chair will most likely be decided in favour of the PNP, which won the popular vote.

At press time data on the Electoral Office of Jamaica results page showed St Thomas tied at 4-4 with two divisions still undecided.

In a late night news conference at JLP headquarters in St Andrew, Holness said there was no question that the JLP had won the election.

According to Holness, the JLP had retained seven municipal corporations while the PNP had retained four.

“If we look at what existed before, the PNP retained Westmoreland, Hanover, Manchester, and St Catherine,” Holness said. “The Jamaica Labour Party retained all that it had — Trelawny, St Mary, St Ann, St James, St Elizabeth, St Thomas, Portland.”

He said the country should, by Wednesday, have definitive results from the municipal corporations that are tied.

“But as you know with these elections, as it was in 2016, they go through recounts, and where there are very close margins there is the potential for change. So right now, the most definitive results that we can say is that the Jamaica Labour Party holds seven municipal corporations, which is the majority of the corporations,” he said.

Holness said the election results indicated that Jamaicans have retained confidence in the Government. However, “there are issues that came up during the campaign which the Government has been seized of and recognises, and the people in their wisdom have found a way to communicate these issues through the ballot to the Government”.

He listed those issues as the need for good roads, water supply, garbage collection, and infrastructure development which, he said, “the Government cannot ignore”.

“These are not issues that originated with the JLP. These have been long-standing issues that the people of Jamaica have been suffering. What we note is that people’s expectations have risen,” Holness said.

“The Government is sensitive to this and recognises that this has an impact on the whole, but it is clearly not to the point where the public feels that the Jamaica Labour Party has not done anything about it,” he said, adding, that the Administration regards the election result as “an expression of frustration” which the Government interprets as a need to step up the pace at which it delivers benefits.

Earlier, PNP President Golding had told supporters at the party’s Old Hope Road headquarters that the party had pulled off a rare victory.

“Comrades, we will continue the work. We will continue to build our momentum. We will continue what we have been doing because we will not let the people down. The people want to see a PNP Government and the people want to see I man, Mark Jefferson Golding, in Jamaica House,” he said to loud cheers.

“We can go forward with confidence that we have pulled off a great victory here today. The people have spoken. The PNP is alive and well,” Golding said, adding that he was dedicating “this victory” to former prime minister and retired PNP President Portia Simpson Miller.

“I thank the most High God for this victory. We have won the popular vote in Jamaica. We have won many more divisions than we had before, we have won the KSAMC with a large margin. I felt the inspiration right through the day. Overall, the PNP has definitely won this parish council election,” Golding told cheering Comrades.