PNP files application to void poll in St Andrew West Central

The People's National Party (PNP) says its candidate for the St Andrew West Central constituency, Paul Buchanan, on Wednesday filed an application with the Constituted Authority to void the taking of the September 3 poll in the constituency.

Buchanan contested the seat against Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Leader Dr Andrew Holness. Holness tallied 7,054 votes to Buchanan's 4,953.

The margin of victory has stirred wide public discussion because the JLP leader was trailing Buchanan by close to 100 votes after 87 of the 105 ballot boxes had been counted.

The 18 outstanding ballot boxes were from polling stations located at Seaward Gardens Primary and Infant School, the director of election confirmed.

In a media release on Thursday, the PNP said the application with the Constituted Authority is based on a number of grounds arising from the conduct of the poll.

It said these include violence and intimidation in the Olympic Gardens and Molynes Gardens Divisions, invasion by JLP operatives of the polling station cluster at Seaward Primary School and irregular transportation of 18 ballot boxes from that cluster to the counting Centre, resulting in their arrival at 10 p.m.

Buchanan also charges that there was voter suppression in the Molynes Gardens Division and said malfunctioning of the electronic voter identification system caused electors to be turned away from polling stations.

Under the law, the Constituted Authority has two weeks to decide on the application and whether to send a petition to the Election Court.

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