All eyes on Aenon Town by-election

The outcome of the November 22 by-election for the Aenon Town division could determine who controls the Clarendon Municipal Corporation.

The Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which won the division through Marjorie McLeod-McFarlane in the February 26 local government elections, currently has control of the corporation. However, the death of McLeod-McFarlane has led to its seat count in the 22-seat corporation decrease from 12 to 11. The People's National Party (PNP) has 10 divisions.

Despite winning fewer seats, the PNP won the popular vote (28,591 votes) to the JLP (28,534 votes), and will take over the corporation if it wins Aenon Town in the polls.

In fact, the Aenon Town by-election, one of four set to take place on the day, is the only one that has any significant implication on the political landscape. Voters in Morant Bay, St Thomas, will vote for a councillor to replace Rohan 'Washy' Bryan, who died on May 1. Bryan won the seat on a PNP ticket in February's poll. The JLP won six of the 10 divisions in the St Thomas Municipal Corporation. Morant Bay was one of the four won by the PNP.

Meanwhile, voters in the Trelawny Southern and St Andrew North Western constituencies will also go to the polls on November 22 to elect their Members of Parliament (MPs). St Andrew North West became vacant following the departure of former Minister of Finance and the Public Service and Member of Parliament, Dr Nigel Clarke. Trelawny Southern has been vacant since last year when Marrisa Dalrymple resigned as the MP. She is expected to be the JLP's candidate while Duane Smith is set to represent the party in St Andrew North West.

Of note, Smith has not yet resigned as councillor for the Chancery Hall Division in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), which would have paved the way for a by-election in the division. The PNP controls the KSAMC by virtue of the popular vote after picking up 20 divisions in the February polls, the same as the JLP.