Jamaicans came out from as early as 4 am on Wednesday, hoping to cast their vote for the country’s next prime minister in an election which saw a pyrrhic victory for the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
While voters trickled into polling stations in the early part of the day, the turnout improved gradually. In Central Kingston, where former cop Steve McGregor was seeking to wrestle the constituency from incumbent Donovan Williams, the turnout was huge, signalling the intensity of the battle for the seat, which traditionally had been won by the People’s National Party (PNP) until it was snatched by Williams of the JLP in 2020.
The atmosphere in St. Catherine East Central was also festive, but the heavy contingent of police officers manning the Gregory Park Primary School suggested there was tension as supporters of both the JLP’s Alando Terrelonge and the PNP’s Raymond Pryce declared their loyalty in the streets.
In other sections of Portmore where there are two other constituencies, voters were more subdued, with a lull in activities occasionally. It was the same atmosphere that greeted the Freedom Come Rain team in other sections of St. Catherine. At the Eltham High School in St Catherine Central, the turnout was less than what some of the agents said they had anticipated. The seat has been won by Olivia “Babsy” Grange every election since 1997. She was being challenged by the PNP’s Ramoni Lewis.
Visits to other sections of St Thomas and Clarendon also saw a less than stellar voter turnout.
Peaceful Process in St James
Security forces who were prepared for election day disruptions in St James had very little to do as peace reigned even across usually volatile communities.
Election officials report that the process had been mainly incident-free and perhaps one of the most peaceful seen in the western parish.
In and outside of the tourism belt, there were reports of ‘labourites’ and comrades being festive, hugging and dancing together in the streets.
In several communities like Flankers, Glendevon, and Salt Spring, supporters of the two parties were observed engaging in festivities as the voting proceeded in the designated areas.
Outside the polling station at the Glendevon Primary and Junior High School, in St. James Northwest, party agents engaged each other and even shared information with no sign of animosity.
Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force manning the area said they were pleased with the general mood in the parish.
“We started working before 4 o’clock this morning, and the polling stations have all been covered. So far, voting is going smoothly… voting started very well, and as we speak, we have had no reports of any major incidents in the parish so far,” said Superintendent Peter Salkey, the territorial officer and zone three commander for the St. James police division, who had special responsibility for the St. James Northwest constituency during the election.
“The police, the military, and polling station assistant security are out and vigilant, ensuring the voters stay within the ambit of the law and things are going very well,” he told members of the press.
Prior to the election, in St. James, the Jamaica Labour Party held five constituencies, which they won in 2020.
