POLLING divisions in East Kingston and Port Royal, said to be a stronghold of the opposition People’s National Party (PNP), yesterday suffered the same fate as others around the island as even the political faithfuls stayed away from the polls.

Only a handful of voters turned up at polling stations to cast their ballots during the morning and early afternoon, giving election day workers more than enough time to read newspapers and books, while some used the opportunity to catch a nap.

At polling stations located at the Windward Road Junior High School and the St Patrick’s Church, a number of PNP outdoor agents were seen clad in orange, the colour of the party, milling around the premises. It was not clear if workers of the Jamaica Labour Party were present at those locations, but there were no green shirts in sight.

Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) parish co-ordinator for Kingston, Nancy Anderson, apparently had little to observe.

“From the poling stations I have visited I have seen no lines at all. I have seen a few people, but the turnout is very slow,” Anderson said.

However, despite the poor turnout, candidates for both sides believe they were able to pull out enough voters to win their seats.

“We have put in the work so I am confident for a victory,” said the PNP’s Angella Brown-Burke, the candidate for the Norman Gardens Division.

“The people know our record of performance in terms of local government reforms,” she said. “They know that we are not just giving lip service.”

Fabian McGowan, who contested the Springfield Division on behalf of the PNP, was also confident that he would pull off a victory.