Nomination day activities for candidates being fielded for the two parliamentary by-elections and the two municipal by-elections will take place as planned today as the country emerges from two days of rainfall brought on by Tropical Storm Rafael.

Director of Elections Glasspole Brown, speaking with the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday evening as the weather system receded, said none of the nomination centres had been affected.

“For now it’s all systems go. We have not had any adverse reports from the areas where any of the nomination centres are located and so nominations will proceed, everything remains as was said,” Brown related.

A tropical storm warning which had been in effect for the island was lifted on Tuesday, while a flash flood warning issued for southern parishes and a flash flood watch for northern parishes remain in effect until late evening.

Tropical Storm Rafael is forecast to become a hurricane by Wednesday near Cuba, according to the weather authorities.

On Monday, the EOJ, in an early morning statement, had indicated that it was prepared to receive nominations of candidates for the by-elections in St Andrew North Western, Trelawny Southern, and the electoral divisions of Aenon Town in Clarendon Northern and Morant Bay in St Thomas Eastern.

Nominations for Aenon Town and Morant Bay will take place between the hours of 12 noon and 2:00 pm today at Claude McKay High School in James Hill, Clarendon, and the Methodist Church Hall at Queen Street, Morant Bay, respectively.

Meanwhile, nominations for St Andrew North Western and Trelawny Southern will be accepted between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm today at Pembroke Hall Community Centre, Hill Drive, and the Office of the Returning Officer for Trelawny Southern, respectively.

The Opposition People’s National Party has indicated that it will not field candidates for the parliamentary by-elections as the general election is due by September 2025, but has said it will contest the parochial by-elections. In a statement issued to the media late Tuesday, the party said councillor-candidate Yvonne Rosemarie Shaw, a public servant, will be its representative for the Morant Bay Division, and educator and community leader Delroy Dawson for the Aenon Town Division.

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government has indicated that Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert will return as the JLP representative for the Trelawny Southern seat, while Duane Smith, the son of former Member of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew North Western Derrick Smith, will replace Dr Nigel Clarke as standard-bearer for the JLP in the constituency.

Meanwhile, Winston Donnie, vice-principal of Paul Bogle High School, has been selected by the JLP as its representative for the Morant Bay Division, which has been without a councillor since the death of Rohan Bryan on May 1 this year.

Marjorie McLeod-McFarlane, the former JLP councillor for the Aenon Town Division, died on September 1, creating a vacancy there. It is unclear who will run on the party’s ticket in that division.

All four by-elections will be held on November 22.