PNP Dominant in Divisions; JLP Sweeps Parliamentary By-Elections

l-r: Rosemarie Shaw, winner of the Morant Bay division; Delroy Dawson, winner of the Aenon Town division; Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, winner of South Trelawny; Duane Smith, winner of North West St Andrew

People’s National Party, PNP, candidates have won both divisional by-elections on Friday.

While the Jamaica Labour Party, JLP, has secured victory in the two parliamentary by-elections. The PNP declined to contest the parliamentary by-elections.

The PNP will be in a bouyant mood after winning the Aenon Town division, having lost the division in February’s local government elections.

That means the PNP now has a tie in Clarendon Municipal Corporation. The JLP’s Joel Williams will remain the mayor.

The PNP’s Delroy Dawson secured 1,646 votes compared to 1,592 votes for the JLP’s Suzette Barton to win Aenon Town.

The Morant Bay division has been won by Rosemarie Shaw who secured 2,096 votes, compared to Winston Downie’s 1,978 votes. But the Labour Party will take comfort from narrowing the gap in the division from the February local government elections.

Meanwhile, there were landslide victories in North West St Andrew and South Trelawny for Duane Smith and Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert amidst very low voter turnout.

Smith secured 1,863 votes to defeated independent Karl Marshall, who secured 111 votes.

And Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert returns as the member of parliament for South Trelawny winning 3,791 votes compared to independent Lloyd Gillings’ 1,356 votes.