Voting underway in West Portland

The polls have now opened in West Portland for today’s highly anticipated by-

election.



The polls opened at 7 a.m. Daryl Vaz is running for the JLP against the PNP’s Kenneth Rowe and Ras Astor Black of the Jamaica Alliance Movement.



The by-election follows a ruling by the Court that Vaz was not eligible to remain in Parliament because he was an American at the time of his nomination in 2007.



Since the last election Mr. Vaz has given up his US citizenship.



In a constituency, which has experienced PNP dominance from 1989 to 2007, the JLP has bestowed every confidence in Vaz, who not only broke that trend in 2007, but is also seeking to retain his position as MP following his disqualification by the Appeal’s court.



On the other hand, Rowe, who lost to the PNP’s Errol Ennis in 2002 by 281 votes on a JLP ticket, and who lost to Vaz in a selection in 2006, is seeking to regain the West Portland seat for his new party.



Although three candidates were duly nominated for the by-election, it is obvious that the contest will be between Rowe and Vaz.



Both major political parties are quite aware that the stakes are high, and as a result the hierarchy of the PNP and the JLP have basically set up shop in Buff Bay over the past two weeks engaging in campaign, canvassing, and spot meetings.



West Portland has never experienced this magnitude of political moguls at one time, which has resulted in bars, corner shops, and guest houses, experiencing massive increase in sales and occupancy.



Vaz has maintained he will be marching back to parliament to assume duties of serving the people of West Portland, while on the other hand Rowe has reiterated that he will break the vase and restore unity.



However, despite that only one winner will emerge following the counting of the ballots later today.