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Magisterial recount continues today for Westmoreland Eastern

Published:Saturday | September 12, 2020 | 10:24 AMAlbert Ferguson - Gleaner Writer

A magisterial recount of ballots cast in the September 3 general elections in the Westmoreland Eastern constituency is continuing today. 

The recount was filed by attorneys for the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) contender, Daniel Lawrence, after the People's National Party's Luther Buchanan was declared the winner earlier this week, following the returning officer's vote for Buchanan. The vote was to break the 4,834 deadlock between the candidates after Sunday's official recount. 

And independent candidate, Haile Mika'el, received 43 votes.

Up to this morning, about 32 of the 117 boxes were counted by Parish Judge Steve Walters of the Westmoreland Parish Court in Savanna-la-Mar.

Yesterday,  Lawrence received the majority of the 29 rejected ballots that had been counted up to that point. The ballots had been previously rejected by the Electoral Office of Jamaica. Lawrence received seven of the previously rejected ballots, while Buchanan received three.

The JLP candidate also received an additional vote after the judge discovered that a ballot marked for the candidate was found in an envelope among ballots cast for Buchanan. 

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