Ruling party dominates local gov’t elections
Mar 27, 2012, 5:08 PM
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) – Officials say Jamaica’s ruling party has dominated local government elections.
State-run news agency Jamaica Information Service said Tuesday that the People’s National Party won 12 of the island’s 13 parish councils. Voter turnout was just over 34 percent.
Nearly 500 candidates competed Monday for council seats across Jamaica in municipal elections seen as a political litmus test for Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller’s administration.
It’s the second time in three months that the main opposition Jamaica Labor Party was drubbed in a vote. Simpson Miller’s faction won a 2-to-1 margin in Parliament over Labor in general elections in late December.
Parish councils handle a range of municipal issues from road repairs to waste management.
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