JAMAICA ELECTION: Holness To Be Sworn In Tomorrow

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Mar 2, (CMC) – Andrew Holness will be sworn in as Prime Minister of Jamaica, tomorrow afternoon, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has announced.

JLP spokesperson, Kamina Johnson Smith, said, the party is preparing for the swearing in, scheduled for 4.00 pm (local time).

Yesterday, the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) said, it had written to the Governor General, Sir Patrick Allen, advising that the final count of ballots in the February 25 general election had been completed, and that the JLP gained 32 seats to the People’s National Party’s 31 seats in the 63-seat House of Representatives.

The EOJ said, in addition, documents from returning officers – the B21 form indicating which candidate has won and the writ of election for each constituency – have been sent to the Clerk of the Houses of Parliament.

The preliminary results had shown the JLP had won by a 33-30 margin over the PNP, led by outgoing Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, but the PNP gained an additional seat, following the recount in the St. Mary South Eastern constituency.

But the JLP has since filed for a magisterial recount where the PNP’s candidate, Dr Winston Green, was declared the winner over, Dr Norman Dunn by a nine vote majority.

The magisterial recount is scheduled for today.