The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) is reporting that the voter turnouts for the two parochial by-elections were higher than of the two parliamentary by-elections up to 11am on Friday.
Unlike the parliamentary by-elections which the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) has boycotted, much interest is being paid by officials and supporters of the two major political parties on the two municipal divisions that are being contested.
In a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), the EOJ said the voter turnout in the Aenon Town Division in Northern Clarendon was 19.01 per cent up to 11am.
The Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Suzette Barton is battling the People’s National Party (PNP) 's Delroy Dawson to retain the seat which the JLP surprisingly won in February's Local Government Elections through Marjorie McLeod-McFarlane, who died in September.
The voter turnout for the by-election in the Morant Bay Division in the St Thomas Municipal Corporation was 13.63 per cent as at Friday morning.
A close battle is expected between the PNP’s parochial veteran Rosemarie Shaw and the JLP's Winston Downie. The division became vacant in May of this year after the death of the PNP's Rohan Bryan.
Meanwhile, it is largely expected that the JLP will win the two parliamentary by-elections in South Trelawny and North West St Andrew.
The voter turnout in South Trelawny was 9.43 per cent as at 11am, which was much higher than the turnout in North West St Andrew of just 2.65 per cent up to the same time.
Former House Speaker Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert is seeking to reclaim her South Trelawny seat from which she resigned last September due to an Integrity Commission (IC) report. She faces independent candidate Lloyd Gillings, a former JLP councillor.
In North West St Andrew, the JLP’s Duane Smith is facing off with former House Speaker and current PNP member, Carl Marshall, who is running as an independent candidate.
Rohan Banks, another PNP member who opted to run as independent candidate in the seat, withdrew from the contest on Wednesday.
The EOJ said voting will continue until 5pm in all the by-elections.
