Edmund Bartlett (JLP) vs Noel Donaldson (PNP)

A JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) representative has served as member of parliament ( MP) for East Central St James for 26 of the 39 years that the constituency has been in existence.

Ed Bartlett, the sitting MP, has been there, 13 of those years, but he is believed to be vulnerable this time around after winning the seat by only 174 votes in 2011.

Bartlett is scheduled to face the PNP’s Noel Donaldson, a man who defected from the JLP back to the PNP, which he left a decade ago.

The PNP’s Violet Neilson, who served 13 years and eight months as MP from 1989 to 2002, is the only non-JLP person to represent the constituency.

The St James East Central constituency was first contested in the 1976 general election. The electoral divisions are Rose Hall, Somerton, and Spring Mount. The number of divisions was increased to four with the addition of Salt Spring in 2007; however, Salt Spring, which Bartlett won by 448 votes in the 2011, has since been cut off and is now part of the new Central St James constituency.

Bartlett has argued that his victory margin in 2011 was affected by skulduggery as ballots that were cast for him by election day workers were marked up and spoilt.

There were 24,826 registered voters in 2011 when the people last voted, and the number of electors has since risen t o 28,178.

WINNING MARGIN

1976 – 288 votes JLP’S Herbert Eldemire over PNP’s Edgar Watson

1980 – 2,842 votes JLP’s Winston Spaulding over PNP’s Edgar Watson

1983 – unopposed

JLP’s Jeff Roach

1989 – 1,058 votes PNP’s Violet Neilson over JLP’s Godfrey Dyer

1993 – 330 votes PNP’s Violet Neilson over JLP’s Godfrey Dyer

1997 – 699 votes PNP’s Violet Neilson over JLP’s Edmund Bartlett

2002 – 1,224 votes JLP’s Ed Bartlett over PNP’s Donald Colomathi

2007 – 1,761 votes JLP’s Ed Bartlett over PNP’s Donald Colomathi

2011 – 174 votes JLP’s Ed Bartlett over PNP’s Cedric Stewart