MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Voting at polling stations in this south-central parish went smoothly on Monday, with police reporting that there were no incidents.

When the polls opened at 7:00 am there was a rush at the polling station at Hatfield Primary School in the Spur Tree Division. However, there were no complaints there.

“I got here from 6:40 am, to be early; I got through within about 10 minutes after the polls opened. The process was simple, quick and smooth,” an elector told the Jamaica Observer. He was among 30 people at the polling station at the time.

The Spur Tree Division was contested by Ryan Peart of the People’s National Party (PNP) and Lincoln Holloway of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

Peart is a cousin of former House Speaker and Manchester Southern Member of Parliament Michael Peart, and former Manchester North Western MP Dean Peart.

In the New Green Division there was slow but smooth voting at Pastor South’s Church on Knowles Road.

The New Green Division was contested by Andrew Smith of the PNP and Hesroy Dwyer of the JLP.

In Manchester Central, Mario Mitchell, the PNP’s candidate for the Bellefield Division, pointed to its traditional strong support for his party.

“The Bellefield Division is one that has always been a strong support for the People’s National Party. I am also a resident of this community — I was born and raised here — so I feel that the people and I are family,” he said.

His opponent, the JLP’s Shaneil Dixon, boasted about the Government’s achievements.

“Never before have we seen such massive work been done in Manchester Central and Jamaica at large under this Andrew Michael Holness-led Government,” she said.

In the Royal Flat Division supporters of the PNP’s Donovan Mitchell and the JLP’s Richard Delapenha engaged in friendly chatter in Broadleaf square. Three women, two of them JLP supporters and the other a PNP supporter, sat together under a tree talking, drinking and smoking, in a jubilant mood.