All set for Nomination Day
THE three political parties contesting the June 19 local government elections yesterday said they were ready for today’s nomination, while the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) indicated that all was in place at the nomination centres.
“Everything is in place and the last time we checked, the returning officers had handed out the nomination forms,” the EOJ’s public information officer, Neville Graham told the Observer yesterday. “Security arrangements are in place and all appointments for the candidates are made.”
Graham added that returning officers will be “diligently checking the eligibility of candidates”.
“They (returning officers) have to ensure that all candidates are registered in the parish for the electoral division in which they are seeking to run and the nomination forms must be signed by the six electors,” he added.
Today will see the nomination of several candidates for the 227 parish council divisions.
Both the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) are expected to field the full slate of 227 candidates, while the National Democratic Movement will put up approximately 30 members for candidacy.
However, Antonette Haughton-Cardenas, president of the United People’s Party, said the party will not be fielding any candidates for the local polls.
But, PNP general-secretary Maxine Henry-Wilson, in an interview with the Observer, said: “We are fully ready for tomorrow (today) and our candidates are anxious to go. Our party is not one that goes around and gloats, we are organised and the local government elections are particularly important to us.”
According to Henry-Wilson, each parish was allowed to develop its own strategy to operationalise the party’s “overall national strategy”.
Jamaica Labour Party deputy leader, Olivia “Babsy” Grange also said that all was in place for Nomination Day.
“We are very upbeat, feeling very positive and ready to go,” she told the Observer yesterday.
The deputy leader expressed confidence in the “calibre of candidates” who she said were drawn from a wide cross-section of society and included several “young people”.
“They are drawn from most strata societies and professions,” she said. “We have scientists, teachers, agronomists, company directors and executives, and law students.”
Approximately 20 per cent of these candidates, she said, are women.
National Democratic Movement’s general-secretary, Michael Williams said his party is “more prepared than confident”.
“All our candidates are in place and they are going to be nominated mostly for the Corporate Area, St Catherine and one in Portland,” he said.
Williams said he was “confident” that his party has the “best message” but lacks financial support.
“What we don’t have is the financial support needed to put across the message effectively,” he said.
“We, however, feel that some persons (NDM candidates) are making good impacts in their respective constituencies,” he added.