Home / International News / Security Heightened In Constituency Ahead Of October 30 By-election In Jamaica

Security Heightened In Constituency Ahead Of October 30 By-election In Jamaica

KINGSTON, Jamaica, October 23, 2017 (CMC) – The police high command has increased security in the constituency of St. Mary South Eastern, ahead of next week’s by-election.

This comes in the wake of reports of mounting political tension in the constituency in the eastern parish of St. Mary.

According to police reports, on the weekend, two supporters of the main opposition People’s National Party (PNP) were shot and injured while in the town of Annette Bay in the parish, and on Sunday, 20 persons were detained during police operations.

In addition to the deployment of police officers, soldiers have also been sent to the constituency.

In an interview with Radio Jamaica, Assistant Commissioner of police, Norman Heywood, said the security forces will be taking a zero tolerance approach to persons involved in violence in the constituency.

He also said the police and military will be conducting daily operations to quell the tension.

Meanwhile Political Ombudsman, Donna Parchment Brown, is threatening to pull the plug on campaigning in St. Mary South Eastern.

The Political Ombudsman, who, along with officials of the Peace Management Initiative (PMI), will visit the constituency this week, warned that she could call off campaigning if the violence continues.

On October 30, two other by-elections will be held in the Corporate Area constituencies of St. Andrew Southern and St. Andrew South Western.

Representing the ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in St. Andrew Southern, is Dane Dennis, who will go up against the PNP’s Mark Golding.

In St. Andrew South Western, the PNP’s Dr. Angela Brown Burke will face the JLP’s Victor Hyde.

The candidates in St. Mary South Eastern are the PNP’s Dr. Shane Alexis and the JLP’s Dr. Norman Dunn.

In the Corporate Area constituencies, the seats became vacant after former prime minister, Portia Simpson Miller, and her former cabinet colleague, Dr. Omar Davies, retired from active politics, giving up their St Andrew South Western and St. Andrew Southern seats respectively.

The St Mary South Eastern seat became vacant when the parliamentary representative, Dr Winston Green, died, suddenly, on August 14.

In the February 25 general election last year, the JLP won 32 of the 63 seats in the Parliament.

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