Incident free, extremely low turnout
- posted: 2003-06-19 17:19:57

With less than an hour left for voters to cast their vote in the Local Government Elections, a low voter turnout is recorded at polling stations across the island.

In South West St. Elizabeth, the poling stations opened on time and the day proceeded incident free but voter turn out was extremely low.

In West Portland voter turn out in all nine division were extremely low, however in the Buff Bay and Windsor Castle areas supporters of the two major political parties (PNP and JLP), congregated outside polling stations. These gatherings were calm and so far incident free.

North East St. Ann got a little action as there has been complaints by Member of Parliament Ernie Smith of intimidation from PNP supporters. There is a strong police presence in the area and at the polling stations.

Early this morning the voting in the Alexandria division got off to a ‘brisk’ start. Voters were turning out in fairly large numbers to cast their votes. The candidates contesting in this division are; Derick Frater for the JLP; Georgia Rose, PNP and Claude Dussard of the People’s Political Party. At St. Ann’s Bay Primary there was a large gathering of political supporters in their colours.

Over in St. Mary in the Boscobel Division, Mr. Michael Belnavis of the JLP, and Micheal Laughton of the governing People’s National Party, have both reported cases of intimidation. Mr. Laughton alleged that Mr Belnavis’s supporters are driving around intimidating and threatening his party loyalists. Mr. Belnavis, in turn has alleged that one of his supporter was attracted and received a knife wound. So far none of these reports has been confirmed by our correspondent.

The low voter turnout reported across the island continues in South Trelawny where it is reported that less 10% of voters from some polling stations have so far tur