Grace Baston (left), Director of Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) in discussion with Chairman of the organisation, Dr. Lloyd Barnett (right) and Director, Fabian Brown at a press conference held yesterday at the Election Centre, Hope Road, St. Andrew.-Ian Allen photoDamion Mitchell, Staff Reporter
CITIZENS ACTION for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE), the local observer group, has reported a number of irregularities in Thursday's Local Govern-ment elections won decisively by the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
While reporting that acts of intimidation and incidents of irregularities occurred at up to 10 per cent of the polling stations visited, CAFFE Chairman Dr. LLoyd Barnett explained that only 400 of CAFFE's 1,000 election observers had filed reports up to yesterday.
Among the locations listed where instances of intimidation took place were St. Theresa College, Port Maria Primary and Islington High in St. Mary South Western, and the Windsor All-Age in Portland Eastern. There were three reported attempts to disrupt electoral proceedings by criminal means in sections of Mountain View Avenue and Maxfield Avenue in the Corporate Area, and one division in Portland Eastern, Dr. Barnett said.
CAFFE's preliminary findings point to 200 cases of open voting and some 43 cases where persons provided proper identification, but were not allowed to vote.
Irregularities and intimidation aside, Dr. Barnett was full of praise for electoral officials. He said that there was between 90 and 100 per cent of "effective compliance" with respect to the preparedness of the officials.
The CAFFE head expressed disappointment at Thursday's low voter turnout. "CAFFE is concerned that the turnout for the Local Government elections is only 40 per cent (and) this further evidence of declining interest in the electoral process does not auger well for our hopes to deepen the democratic process," said Dr. Barnett.
Until the next elections, he said that CAFFE will be more involved in public education to strengthen the democratic process and will organise activities to keep its members up-to-date. He said the group hoped to achieve this objective through literatures, seminars and partnerships with the media.
CAFFE's final report on the Local Government elections is expected to be completed in another two months.
Meantime, the JLP is still celebrating its electoral victory, its first in eight attempts. It had previously lost four General elections and three Local Government elections dating back to 1986.
Thursday's victory saw the party winning 11 of the 12 Parish Councils in addition to the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC). The PNP only managed to hold on to the Westmoreland Parish Council while there was a tie for the Clarendon Parish Council.
The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) has advised that all results so far are preliminary. The official counting of ballots commenced yesterday and should last until tomorrow, an EOJ official said.
