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3.
ST. ANDREW EASTERN
St. Andrew Eastern is the most easterly urban constituency in the parish, and neighbour to St. Andrew
East Rural. It has a population of 47, 205 according to the 2011 National Census; and of this number 34,
951 are 18 years and older. This constituency has a voter turn-out of an average of 63% in the last 6
elections. Calculations from the data collected suggest that the voter turn-out could remain the same.
History
St. Andrew Eastern constituency was created in the 1976 boundaries adjustment. The first election in
this constituency was won by the PNP’s Keble Munn. In the social upheavals of 1980 Edmund Bartlett
won by a landslide (5150 votes). In 1989 Bartlett retained the seat but lost his impressive margin.
Between 1993 and 2002 Collin Campbell of the PNP controlled the seat, followed by St. Aubyn Bartlett
2002 to 2011. In the last election 2 new candidates contested for the seat; and businessman Andre
Hylton of the PNP won by a slender margin of 254 votes.
There are 3 observations worth noting. The first is that no party has a historical advantage. The
constituency has had 8 competitive elections, and the PNP has won 4 and the JLP 4. The second is that
the people of St. Andrew Eastern can vote independently of the national trends. Unlike the people of St.
Elizabeth South-west who focus on ensuring that their MP is a part of the Government, the people of St.
Andrew Eastern have voted in the opposite direction twice (1989 and 2002). The third observation,
obvious in Chart 11, is that no candidate in its history has been allowed more than 2 terms. These 3
observations imply that the people of St. Andrew Eastern place some level of premium on the
performance of their candidate. In interviews with political activists of the PNP and JLP it was obvious
that the “people remove MPs as soon as they become complacent.” The implications are positive for
Andre Hylton who has been branded the “ever-present responsive MP.” In summary, St. Andrew Eastern
is a seat that has historically swung every 2 elections, which provides Andre Hylton with a trend
advantage.