Candidates Confident Ahead of Friday By-Elections

The country’s two major political parties have expressed confidence going into Friday’s by-elections.

Voters are set to elect Members of Parliament for South Trelawny and North West St. Andrew as well as councillors for the divisions of Aenon Town in Clarendon and Morant Bay in St. Thomas.

Nationwide News also caught up with the independent candidates, who say they’ve done the work and are awaiting a positive outcome. 

Shaloy Smikle reports.

The Opposition People’s National Party, PNP, will not be contesting the parliamentary by-elections.

They’ve instead shifted their focus to the divisional polls.

Delroy Dawson is representing the PNP in the Aenon Town Division. He’s up against the JLP’s Suzette Barton.

Meanwhile, the PNP’s Rose Marie Shaw is up against Winston Downie for the JLP.

PNP Deputy General Secretary, Nekeisha Burchell, says the work of Dawson and Shaw will secure victory in tomorrow’s polls.

But JLP Deputy Leader and Local Government Minister, Desmond McKenzie, is confident of his party’s chances in both divisions.

Meanwhile, two independent candidates have remained in the race to contest the parliamentary by-elections.

When Nationwide News spoke with Lloyd Gillings, who’s up against the JLP’s Marissa Dalrymple-Phillbert in South Trelawny, he says history will be created.

And Carl Marshall, who’s up against the JLP’s Duane Smith in North West St. Andrew, says his main message is to improve the PEP results of grade six students.

He’s anticipating that his message will resonate with the people going into tomorrow’s polls.