Independent Candidate Withdraws from North West St Andrew By-Election

Rohan Banks. Image courtesy of the Jamaica Observer

Independent candidate in North West St. Andrew, Rohan Banks, has withdrawn from the by-election set for this Friday, November 22.

Mahiri Stewart reports.

Rohan Banks was nominated on November 6 as one of three candidates looking to fill the vacancy created by the departure of former finance minister, Dr. Nigel Clarke.

The other two are the Jamaica Labour Party’s Duane Smith and Carl Marshall, who says he’s running as an independent.

Both Banks and Marshall say they are dues paying, committed members of the People’s National Party, PNP.

The PNP says its official position is that it will not field a candidate in any parliamentary by-election. Mark Golding’s party says it’s instead preparing for the general election, due next year.

But three days before the vote in North West St. Andrew, Banks says he’s withdrawing from the contest.

Banks was asked why he didn’t withdraw from the process on Nomination Day, when Marshall was being nominated.

According to Banks, even after learning of Marshall’s nomination he was planning to continue in the race.

But, over the last two weeks, Banks says after careful consideration and consultation, he has now decided to withdraw and throw his support behind Marshall.

He says his decision was influenced by the fact that he did not want to engage in a battle for votes with a fellow comrade.

Meanwhile, Rohan Banks says he doesn’t believe his decision to pull out of Friday’s by-election in North West St. Andrew will cause his supporters to lose trust in him.

He was speaking on Nationwide This Morning on Tuesday.

Rohan Banks.