The Director of Elections Orrette Fisher has confirmed that the People’s National Party’s (PNP) Hugh Buchanan has triumphed over the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Dr Christopher Tufton in the race to be Member of Parliament for South West St Elizabeth.
“When I checked with the returning officer he told me that the position was reversed by the official count,” Fisher told The Gleaner.
Buchanan, son of the late Donald Buchanan, won the seat by 13 votes on the official count.
Tufton, a deputy leader of the JLP, appeared to have won the seat by 101 votes on the preliminary count polling 9,426 to Buchanan’s 9,325.
In the event that the result stands the PNP would move to 42 seats in the House of Representatives and the JLP 21.
Tufton, who had won the seat by 1,825 votes in 2007 would also join Robert Montague (Western St Mary) and Clive Mullings (West Central St James) as government ministers to have lost their seats.
“We are truly excited and ecstatic about the win and it is good to join the other seats that have been declared for the People’s National Party,” Buchanan said.
“We have pledged good representation and I look forward to delivering that as the Member of Parliament,” he continued.
Donald Buchanan had served as South West St Elizabeth MP from 1989 to 2007.
In his last election in 2002, Donald Buchanan won the seat by 117 votes.
This evening Hugh Buchanan lauded his late father for teaching him the virtue of hard work.
“I know that he is proud of me where ever he is.”
Donald Buchanan died earlier this year.
South West St Elizabeth has always voted for the party which wins the general election.
SOURCE: jamaicagleaner
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