There will be three names on the ballot for the September 30 by-election in North East St Ann, as the United Independents’ Congress’ (UIC) Chase Neil was successfully nominated on Wednesday.
Neil, a St Mary native, had earlier encountered difficulties in securing the required number of registered persons for him to be nominated.
However, he completed the nomination process shortly before 2pm.
He joins the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Matthew Samuda, and independent candidate David Fritz Anderson, also known as ‘Five Pound’, a former member of the People’s National Party (PNP), as the nominated candidates.
Neil told reporters that the UIC decided to give the people a voice, hence his decision to represent the party in the constituency.
“Though I don’t reside in St Ann, I have a lot of ties to St Ann. I am not really new to St Ann,” said Neil, who is an educator by profession.
He stated that he has represented St Ann and St Mary through his professional career as an educator, as well as through his church activities.
For his part, UIC President Joseph Patterson expressed joy that Neil was successfully nominated on Wednesday.
Patterson posted on Facebook that the party will now move into full campaign mode.
“Let’s all rally and unite our time, talents and treasure to encourage the people of North East St Ann to vote UIC for a new and better future,” Patterson wrote.
The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) has since confirmed the successful nomination of all three candidates for the by-election later this month.
The EOJ said it will now move ahead with preparations for the by-election, including the training of workers, preparation of ballots, and the distribution of supplies.
