Power 106 election news, Friday August 31
Written by JamaicaElections.com
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Banning political meetings
Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas has accepted the recommendation of the Political Ombudsman to ban political rallies, motorcades and meetings in Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine with immediate effect.
Members of the Election Centre made the recommendation yesterday, after several violent incidents, believed to be politically motivated.
Four people were killed in St. Catherine including a policeman and two others injured.
And in East St. Andrew, two Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) workers were shot and injured while traveling through the constituency with their candidate Dr. St. Aubyn Bartlett.
In another incident in Canterbury, North West St. James three JLP workers were reportedly shot in two separate drive-by incidents.
Political parties on ban
Both major political parties have agreed to comply with the decision of the police high command.
PNP General Secretary Donald Buchanan says the party will be making the necessary changes in its campaign activities.
He also says the ban is not likely to negatively affect the party’s chances at the polls on Monday.
Meanwhile JLP General Secretary Karl Samuda says his party is confident that its previous campaign work has placed it in a strong position ahead of the election on Monday.
Lawsuit against Vaz
People’s National Party (PNP) candidate for Western Portland Abe Dabdoub this morning filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court against his JLP contender Daryl Vaz on the grounds of dual citizenship.
The hearing is set for September 13.
Mr. Vaz is one of several JLP candidates who the People’s National Party has accused of having dual citizenship.
Earlier this month, PNP Chairman Robert Pickersgill wrote to the Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, Professor Errol Miller asking him to investigate reports that some JLP candidates have dual citizenship.
The party claims that it has credible information that at least seven JLP candidates are citizens of other countries.
The lawsuit against Mr. Vaz is the first one filed since the accusations surfaced.