Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate Donovan Williams has been officially declared the winner of the Kingston Central constituency following the final count of ballots from the September 3 General Election.
The official results, confirmed Friday evening after two days of counting 80 ballot boxes, showed Williams securing 4,832 votes to 4,753 for his People’s National Party (PNP) challenger, Steve McGregor. The tally gave Williams a margin of 79 votes.
McGregor was initially declared the winner on election night, when the preliminary count had him leading Williams by 12 votes. However, the JLP had signaled on Thursday that it expected the official count to overturn the early result.
“I am overjoyed, I am feeling satisfied and accomplished that the correct results have been certified now. I always knew I was the winner. It was just a matter of time,” Williams told the Jamaica Observer after the confirmation.
The win carries added personal significance for Williams, who said the victory fulfilled a dream of his late father. He was joined on Friday by family members, including his brother, Delroy Williams, who was also elected to Parliament as MP for Clarendon Central.
With the latest outcome, the JLP now controls 35 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives, while the PNP holds 28. Another constituency, South East St Mary, where the JLP’s Christopher Brown defeated the PNP’s Dr. Norman Dunn by just 11 votes, is also under close scrutiny.
PNP representatives have not yet issued a public statement on the Kingston Central result.
 candidate Donovan Williams has been officially declared the winner of the Kingston Central constituency.){kind=link}