Donovan Williams fulfilled a dream of his late father’s on Friday when just before 7:00 pm the official count of votes in the September 3, 2025 General Election confirmed him as the winning candidate for the battleground Kingston Central constituency.

The victory, which will see Williams joining his brother Delroy in Parliament, increased the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) seat count in the House of Representatives to 35 and cut the People’s National Party’s (PNP) number to 28.

“I am overjoyed, I am feeling satisfied and accomplished that the correct results have been certified now. I always knew I [was] the winner. It was just a matter of time,” Williams told the Jamaica Observer.

The official tally after two days of counting the 80 ballot boxes put incumbent Williams at 4,832 votes, with his challenger, the PNP’s Steve McGregor polling 4,753 votes, a difference of 79.

On Friday, Williams was flanked by his family, including his elder brother Delroy, the Member of Parliament-elect for Clarendon Central, and his sisters Janice Williams Harden and Audrey Williams Chin.

Williams Chin told the Observer that to see the two brothers in Parliament would have been a dream come true for their parents, especially their father who died of cancer before he could see Delroy sworn in as Mayor of Kingston in 2016.

“My dad watched [PNP govern] for 18 years and every five years we lost, and in that final election he couldn’t believe we lost again. By that time he had cancer, and he passed away, he didn’t get to see any of this,” Williams Chin explained.

Her sister, Williams Harden, added: “If our parents were here they would have been proud.”

The elder Williams brother was a picture of pride, “It [certainly is] a great feeling for both of us to be in Parliament; it goes to the people — the people have supported us, both in Central Clarendon and Kingston Central — and the party leader for having the confidence in us for allowing us to represent both constituencies,” the former Kingston mayor said.

The preliminary count by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) on September 3 had reported that McGregor, a retired senior superintendent of police and political newcomer, had won the seat with 4,739 votes to Williams’ 4,727, a 12-vote difference.

It was a gap that Williams said didn’t trouble him.

“I knew something was wrong on the night, definitely,” he told the Observer, adding “one or two of my boxes were not involved in the counting so I was always confident that we would win.”

So too were his supporters who converged at Convent of Mercy Academy Alpha, where the official count took place. Long before the final count was announced they started celebrating.

When the Observer arrived just after 3:00 pm green-clad supporters had already lined the streets ringing bells and blowing horns.

“I feel very confident! We will win this with over 70 votes, Donovan will win this election,” Orlando Walters told the Observer.

Williams pointed to his performance as MP as a reason he had been sure he would retain the seat.

“I had no doubt; we were serving the people, and our track record is very good. We did a lot of work… people said I was very responsive and, as you can see from the support here, the people are endorsing that, so I had no doubt that this seat would go back to the Jamaica Labour Party,” he said.

A constituent who gave her name as Francine, shared a similar sentiment as she referred to Williams as Impact boss, the name given to him by constituents.

“Mi come out yah fi Impact boss, one Impact boss; him win long time, him transform Central Kingston. A show mi wah show you [the difference],” she said.

Another JLP supporter who identified herself as Vanessa, said: “Him give we house, road, him pay school fee, him give wi toilet, him give we tank, one Impact boss! Only thing him nuh gi wi a gun, and wi no want that!”

When the winning candidate was announced, the crowd erupted with bell-ringing, horn-blowing and shouts of “One Impact boss!”

Williams immediately embarked on a walk-through of the constituency, with his bell-ringing supporters in tow.

McGregor was not present at the official count and there were no supporters from the PNP seen throughout the afternoon.

Officials assured the Observer however, that McGregor was duly represented in the room where the EOJ conducted the official count.

At the end of that process, several PNP representatives, including Sophia Frazer-Binns, emerged from the room. They refused to comment or say whether they would be seeking a magisterial recount.

The EOJ officials did not comment on what had caused the discrepancy in the original numbers.

Traditionally the PNP has held the Kingston Central seat more often than the JLP. Williams wrested it from the PNP’s Imani Duncan-Price in 2020 during the JLP’s landslide 49-14 seat victory.

At that time Williams had secured 4,623 votes to Duncan-Price’s 4,147.

Earlier Friday, the EOJ issued a release saying that final counts were completed in seven constituencies — St James North Western, St James West Central, St Elizabeth North Western, Manchester North Western, Manchester North Eastern, St Andrew North Eastern and St Andrew Western — and the results remain the same as the preliminary count.

Supporters of Jamaica Labour Party candidate for Kingston Central Delroy Williams celebrate Friday at Convent of Mercy Academy Alpha after the official count of votes in the September 3, 2025 General Election showed that he had won the seat.

Jubilant residents of Kingston Central celebrate after the official vote count at Convent of Mercy Alpha confirmed that their former Member of Parliament Donovan Williams had retained the seat in the September 3, 2025 General Election. Photos: Joseph Wellington

Donovan Williams (left) and his brother Delroy in a festive mood on Friday before the official count of votes for the Kingston Central constituency showed that Donovan had won the seat in the September 3, General Election.

Khari Douglas and Lawrence Rowe, two former members of the People’s National Party now Jamaica Labour Party supporters, celebrate Friday after Kingston Central candidate, Donovan Williams was declared winner of the seat in the September 3, 2025 General Election.

One of Donovan Williams’ supporters celebrate Friday evening after the official count of votes in the September 3, 2025 General Election declared him winner of the Kingston Central seat.

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate for Kingston Central Donovan Williams celebrates with supporters at Convent of Mercy Academy Alpha on Friday evening after the official count of votes in the September 3, 2025 General Election showed that he had won the seat.