ST JAMES, Jamaica — Voting was going smoothly in St James Central and Southern and there were few if any complaints from either voters waiting patiently in lines or election workers in the two constituencies that are expected to be closely contested.

In St James Central, which encompasses most of downtown Montego Bay, orderly lines were seen at Cornwall College that has a cluster of polling stations and also at Corinaldi Avenue Primary, across town.

Heroy Clarke is hoping to be the first person to retain the St James Central seat after he beat Ashley-Ann Foster by just under 2,000 votes in 2016.

His opponent, Andre Hylton is hoping to return the seat to the PNP column after Lloyd B Smith had won it when it was first contested in 2011.

In St James Southern, Dr Walton Small is hoping to extend the PNP’s hold on the seat for a further five years after Derrick Kellier held it for 31 years and won seven times in the mostly agricultural sector of the parish.

Small, who was the principal of Anchovy High, will be facing Homer Davis, the Mayor of Montego Bay, who will be trying to win the seat for the third time and in 2016 had lost by a scant 62 votes after losing by 1,072 in 2011.

The high profile Davis, a former policeman, is seen as the favourite to win and end the PNP strong hold on the constituency.

Paul Reid