Candidates selected for Jamaica by-elections

Monday, October 9 was nomination Day for by-elections to be held in three Jamaican electoral constituencies later this month.

The opposition People’s National Party (PNP) nominated three candidates, including a former justice minister, to maintain its hold on three seats it won in the general elections in 2016.

PNP nominees

Former justice minister Mark Golding, Dr. Angela Brown Burke, and Dr. Shane Alexis have been nominated to contest the St Andrew Southern, St Andrew South Western, and St Mary South Eastern, constituencies in the October 30 by-election.

JLP nominees

The ruling Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) nominated Dane Dennis, Victor Hyde and Dr. Norman Dunn to contest the seats that became vacant after former prime minister Portia Simpson Miller, her former cabinet colleague Dr. Omar Davies retired from active politics giving up their South-Western St Andrew and Southern St Andrew seats respectively. The South-Eastern St Mary seat became vacant when the parliamentary representative, Dr. Winston Green, died suddenly on August 14.

Confident of victory

The PNP’s Dr. Alexis said he was confident of victory in the St. Mary South Eastern seat. He said he was also prepared to debate Dunn anywhere and anytime in the constituency.

“After travelling across the different communities of the constituency that borders Portland, St Andrew and St Catherine, I have heard the cries of the people and my solutions to their problems are contained in a 12-point plan that I have published. It is now for the people to elect me to be their representative in the Parliament so that I can implement,” he said in a statement.

“The essence of a democracy is constant interaction with the people. A debate is one such form of interaction and I am prepared to debate the issues, even if they were to be organized by the opponent,” he added.