Less than an hour before the close of voting, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate Daryl Vaz was claiming at least a 2,000 margin victory in the West Portland constituency.

Speaking with The Gleaner at about 4:30 p.m. Mr. Vaz said he declared victory in the seat from about 11 a.m. The candidate said the party’s machinery had vigorously organised electors to come out and vote

Mr. Vaz said that, from as early as 6 a.m. his young team was on the road pulling out the voters

“This is the result of 17 months of organisation which has proved fruitful,” Mr. Vaz said.

Meanwhile, voter turnout was said to be very high in the constituency, which possesses 17,963 electors. Some voters at polling stations at St. Margaret’s Bay All Age, Orange Bay Primary, and Buff Bay Primary Schools complained that they were in queue from more than an hour.

“Mi reach here from 7 a.m. and now a afta 10 a.m. an mi jus a leave,” one voter at Buff Bay Primary said.

Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) representatives said that the long wait was due to the large turn out in the morning hours.

Meanwhile, when this newspaper spoke with the PNP candidate Abe Dabdoub, at Buff Bay Primary who said: “No comment - I am busy working.”

Mr. Dabdoub, then proceeded to visit each of the 10 polling divisions at the schools, speaking with his party indoor agents and the EOJ’s representatives.

Police said there were no arrests regarding the day’s election proceeding in the constituency and that reports of road blocks in Bybrook and Mount Vernon were false.