THE RULING People's National Party holds a slim lead over the opposition Jamaica Labour Party in the island's eastern parishes, according to a Gleaner-Don Anderson opinion poll.
This represents a reversal of the fortunes of the JLP, which led the PNP in the eastern parishes up to April this year.
The eastern parishes, which comprise Portland, St. Mary and St. Thomas account for seven of the country's 60 political constituencies.
The poll was conducted from August 1 to 23 and involved interviews with 1,119 persons aged 18 years and over in 92 communities islandwide. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 per cent.
Of those surveyed, 24.4 per cent said they would be voting for the PNP, against 20.9 per cent who indicated an intention to cast their ballots for the JLP on election day. Fifty-two per cent of those polled said they would not be voting.
In his analysis, Mr. Anderson argued that "the eastern parishes could see a very close election this
time around, as the PNP enjoys only a slight lead over its main rival, the JLP..."
Past elections have seen the eastern parishes swinging between the two major parties over the years, despite its present dominance by the PNP which holds all seven seats.
Of those interviewed, 2.3 per cent said they would vote for the United People's Party (UPP), whose president, Antonnette Haughton-Cardenas, says she intends to run in the St. Mary Central constituency.
According to the poll findings, there is no support in the parishes for the New Jamaica Alliance, which is a recently-formed coalition of the National Democratic Movement, the Republican Party of Jamaica and Jamaica Alliance for National Unity.
The PNP's lead in the polls shows a strong recovery over the last six months. The findings of the March/April Anderson poll gave the JLP 31.8 per cent support in the east, compared to the PNP's 29 per cent. At that time, support for the UPP was 1.9 per cent
