Durrant Pate/Contributor
It has been a slow start to today’s (February 26) Local Government poll, where 98 per cent of the polling stations opened on time at the 7:00 am start.
However, political pundits are predicting that the pace will quicken throughout the day, as those electors, who turned up for work, will be coming in to cast their ballot given the early end to their work day.
Roving through the Corporate Area from Spanish Town to Portmore to Kingston and parts of St. Andrew, it was obvious that today’s election day is a carnival atmosphere for the bases of both major political parties.
What is obvious was the sea of orange compared to the multitude of green where the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) having a stronger base outturn on the streets compared to the incumbent, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
A total of 499 candidates have been nominated to contest the long-awaited Local Government elections, including 496 candidates vying for seats in the 228 electoral divisions island-wide and three candidates for the seat of mayor in the municipality of Portmore.
Expectation of higher voter turn-out
There is a strong expectation of a higher voter turnout in the region of 40-45 per cent, given the interest in today’s municipal poll, which many say is a verdict on the Andrew Holness administration.
In Portmore, Our Today witnessed very little voting in a number of the polling station so too was the case in several polling stations in Spanish Town, Central Village, Port Henderson Road, Seiveright Gardens, Maxfield Park, Arnett Gardens, Wilton Gardens and downtown Kingston.
The base of both political parties are jubilant and expectant of victory at the polls. It was noticeable that the police are out in their numbers so much so that many hotspots, were the traffic police would mount ‘speed traps’, they were visibly absent.
Our Today ventured along Collie Smith Drive in South St. Andrew, the constituency of Opposition Leader Mark Golding, where it was party central in the JLP enclave of Wilton Gardens popularly known as Rema. It was a jamboree and jubilation there.
Our attention was caught by one decked in his green colours providing entertainment for those motorists passing by. We also passed the PNP candidate for the Hagley Park Division, Waynette Strachan, driving through the constituency observing happenings on election day.
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