WATCH: Voting ‘slow but steady’ in Morant Bay by-election
Voting is “slow but steady” in St Thomas Eastern where the Jamaica Labour Party’s Winston Downie and the People’s National Party’s Rosemarie Shaw are battling it out for the Morant Bay Division which has been without a councillor since May this year.
The 39 polling stations across 19 locations opened promptly at 7 this morning. The Observer has so far visited eight polling stations in the Morant Bay area. Election day workers for both parties reported that so far the day has been uneventful but hopeful.
“We are fine. PNP river come down bank to bank,” one worker told the Observer.
The PNP’S Denise Daley who was seen at the New Testament Church of God in Morant Bay which houses three polling station said “it’s very good, people are slowly coming out but quite orderly and it is clear people have made their preparation”.
Over at the Morant Bay Primary School in the heart of the town, where five polling stations are located, things were also progressing “smoothly” when the Observer visited. A cop on duty told the newspaper that except for a few instances where some voters turned up without proper identification, matters were proceeding smoothly. He said in those instances individuals were allowed to swear or be affirmed as allowed under the electoral laws.
Some 75,000 Jamaicans are eligible to vote in the four by-elections Friday.
Voters in St Andrew North Western and Trelawny Southern will go to the polls to elect new Members of Parliament, while electors in Aenon Town, Clarendon; and Morant Bay, St Thomas, will vote for new councillors.
The PNP opted not to nominate candidates to contest the parliamentary elections, but has put up candidates in the two local government contests.
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.
