PNP defends voting in regional elections

The People's National Party (PNP) is insisting that the voting processes for its regional elections on Sunday were properly conducted amid a few claims of unfairness in western Jamaica. 

Some controversy has emerged out of Region 6 (Hanover, Westmoreland and St James) following the vote to determine the chairman, as well as representatives to the party's National Executive Council (NEC).

The council is the party's second-highest decision-making body after the annual conference. 

The six regional conferences were incident free , and all six regional chairmen were returned unopposed, the party said in a statement Tuesday rejecting criticisms about the voting. 

But at the end of the event in Region 6, one unsuccessful aspirant for an NEC position and another individual, who the PNP says is not a party member, "took to the media, using indecorous language to express their dissatisfaction with the process and outcome of the regional elections for NEC membership". 

Some persons complained that the ballots were not counted transparently. 

"It is indeed unfortunate that the personal disaffection of an unsuccessful NEC nominee and another individual who is not even a member of the PNP, through their false and inflammatory statements to a media house, have marred an otherwise successful and incident-free conference," the party added. 

In its explanation, the PNP said Deputy General Secretary Wensworth Skeffery, who presided over the Region 6 elections, enlisted the assistance of staff of the party secretariat, along with senior members of the Patriots, the young professional arm, to count the ballots. 

It said this was done "outside in the open, and in the view of all, as the location did not have closed rooms available for this purpose". 

Colin Hitchman was returned unopposed as the chairman of the region. 

The PNP also said there were 14 nominations for NEC membership, from which the 10 persons who received the highest number of votes were chosen, as required by the party's constitution.

The PNP said it will be reminding its members to use internal party structures to raise their concerns.

The NEC positions are based on the number of constituencies in each region. 

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