There were wild celebration across sections of St James last night after news broke that the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) had won the majority of local government divisions in the parish.
According to the preliminary results, the JLP won 13 of the 17 divisions across the five constituencies in the parish, while the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) won four.
In the 2012 Local Government Elections, the then governing PNP had won 13 of the divisions.
Last night, the jubilant JLP supporters, many of whom gathered on St Claver’s Avenue, Catherine Hall, Paradise and other sections of Montego Bay, sang and danced as the result of the elections became known.
Many expressed delight that Mayor of Montego Bay Glendon Harris had lost the Maroon Town Division to the JLP’s Everest Coke.
“Wi send home the mayor [Harris],” a JLP supporter shouted.
Harris had been the PNP councillor for the area for more than 25 years.
Deputy general secretary of the JLP Homer Davis, who retained the Cambridge Division, said he was not surprised that his party had done exceedingly well in the parish.
Earlier, polling was slow for the most part of day, but picked up a few hours before the close of polls at 5:00 pm.
JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang, who visited most of the polling stations in the parish, told the
Jamaica Observer shortly after 3:00 pm yesterday, that, although there was a low turnout of voters, he was expecting a positive result for his party.
“The voter turnout is low, but what we have seen is that most of the persons who are voting are JLP supporters,” said Dr Chang.
One of the most ignorant n Damning thing I’ve always heard is that Jamaica is Pnp country.In all fairness I confess I notice a pattern that Jlp ONLY Always win when Pnp voters don’t turn out(for whatever reasons),or the marginal seats like a certain rural n uptown areas vote them out.
Just think if Jamaica had registration like Usa where u registereD as a pnp,jlp or independent the truth is Pnp voters would outnumber Labourites by thousands.We still too tribalistic for that ever to happen anytime soon,maybe 44yrs time or so.