Prof. Errol Miller (left), chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, and Winston Barrett, president of the Lions Club of Kingston, speak to the media and members of the club at its weekly luncheon meeting at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston, yesterday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Prof. Errol Miller, wants the new Parliament, when sworn in, to pass legislation as its first order of business, to increase the number of constituencies to an odd number between 60 and 65.

He said the result of the just-concluded general election showed that the two major political parties could have registered a tie.

During the last Parliament, a bill, with provisions to increase the number of constituencies, was not debated after being tabled for more than six months.

Speaking yesterday at a luncheon hosted by the Lions Club of Kingston at the Pegasus hotel, Professor Miller said Governor-General Professor Kenneth Hall would by today receive the writs with information on the final count of the ballots in the 60 constituencies.

He also explained that candidates could request a magisterial recount within four days of the final count.

Professor Miller said a request for a magisterial recount by a candidate meant that the EOJ would have to alert the senior magistrate for the parish to conduct the process.

Magisterial recount

If a magisterial recount is requested the writ that was sent to the Governor-General becomes a premature writ and is returned until the magisterial recount is concluded.

Professor Miller said no constituency recorded a turnout that was close to 100 per cent.

He said 808,240 persons voted, or 60.4 per cent of the little more than 1.3 million Jamaicans who were eligible to vote.

Of this number the Jamaica Labour Party polled 405,215, the People's National Party received 402,275, the National Democratic Movement got 540 while the other groups polled a total of 110 votes.

edmond.campbell@gleanerjm.com