Independent candidate Banks has withdrawn from by-election, but…

Director of Elections, Glasspole Brown, has said the name of independent candidate for North West St Andrew, Rohan Banks, will remain on the ballot for Friday's by-election in the constituency, despite him (Banks) having withdrawn his candidacy.

Reports indicate that Banks submitted a paper on Wednesday that stated his intention to withdraw from the contest which is being held to fill the seat left vacant by former Member of Parliament (MP) and Finance Minister, Dr Nigel Clarke, who resigned from both positions last month to take up the role of a Deputy Managing Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In responding to the latest developments relative to the by-election in North West St Andrew, Brown told reporters that Banks "will remain on the ballot, because we (the Electoral Office of Jamaica) can't reprint the ballot at this stage."

Under the rules, the director of elections said Banks' notification of withdrawal was not properly done, as the independent candidate needed to give about a specified period of notice of withdrawal.

"He (Banks) sent in a piece of paper yesterday (Wednesday), and therefore, as far as we are concerned, he remains on the ballot," declared Brown.

He said the EOJ's legal team will be assessing the implications of Banks' withdrawal.

Banks, who ran unsuccessfully on the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) ticket in North West St Andrew in the 2020 General Elections, was one of three candidates who were nominated on November 6 for the November 22 by-election.

The other candidates are the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate Duane Smith, who is the Councillor for the Chancery Hall Division in the constituency, and independent candidate Carl Marshall, a former MP and Speaker of the House of Representatives between 1993 and 1997.

Marshall is also a former Chairman of the PNP’s constituency executive, and like Banks, is still a member of the Opposition party.

Banks told reporters earlier this week that he would be withdrawing from the race to support Marshall because he did not wish to "split the vote" between himself and the former House speaker.

The PNP has opted not to field a candidate for the parliamentary by-election.