Based on reports from the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Andrew Swaby is poised to become the next mayor of Kingston. This comes after the EOJ confirmed on Wednesday that the PNP had secured victory in the crucial Kintyre Division in St Andrew East Rural, tipping the scales in favor of the party in the tied 20-20 race at the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) following Monday’s local government elections.
The win in the Kintyre Division solidifies the PNP’s position in the KSAMC, as it clinched the popular vote. PNP candidate Vivienne Dian Brown-Bond emerged victorious in the division, garnering 1,319 votes against the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Kelvin Keith Clarke, who received 1,287 votes. The PNP’s victory margin increased from 29 to 32 votes after the final tally.
At 6:00 pm on Wednesday, the EOJ completed the final count for 178 electoral divisions. Earlier in the day, representatives from various divisions in the St Andrew East Rural constituency gathered at the EOJ head office to witness the final count. The counting process commenced promptly at 10:00 am, with a focus on election day workers, police, and military personnel. Subsequently, ballot boxes from the five divisions in the constituency, including Kintyre, were counted under close scrutiny by legal representatives from both the PNP and the JLP.
Patrick Peterkin, PNP caretaker for St Andrew East Rural, emphasized the significance of the Kintyre Division to the party’s aspirations of winning control of the KSAMC. He highlighted the meticulous observation of the division’s counting process by PNP lawyers, underscoring the party’s determination to secure victory.
The final vote count for the five divisions in the St Andrew East Rural constituency was relocated to the EOJ’s Duke Street head office in downtown Kingston to prevent potential tensions at the previous counting center within the constituency, according to Glasspole Brown, the director of elections.
Pingback: Jamaica Labour Party Declared Winner of Local Government Election - Things To Know Ja