#JaVotes2020 | Dwayne Vaz Says PNP Is Ready To Retain Westmoreland Central

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#JaVotes2020 | Dwayne Vaz Says PNP Is Ready To Retain Westmoreland Central

Published:Tuesday | August 18, 2020 | 3:38 PM

PNP's Dwayne Vaz (third left) and his supporters. Vaz is contesting the Westmoreland Central seat

Despite having only one of the five parish council divisions in the constituency of Westmoreland Central, incumbent candidate Dwayne Vaz of the People's National Party (PNP), was the first candidate nominated at 10:15 a.m. with much fanfare to contest the country's 18th general elections on September 3. 

Vaz was nominated at the Central Tabernacle Deliverance Centre on Great George Street, in Savanna-la-Mar.

Speaking with The Gleaner, Vaz said being the first to be nominated was deliberate and an indication of what the results will show at the close of the poll on election day.

"I am the first to be nominated and will be the first (victor) at the close of the polls on election day, September 3. It is significant, and nominating first is something we decided to do as members of the People's National Party to signal to persons that we are ready," Vaz said after emerging with a copy of electors on the voter's list for the constituency.

"We are ready for Jamaica, we always put Jamaica first," he said. 

The incumbent PNP candidate says he will be standing on his track record in the last term. 

"We have been working very hard since the last election to strengthen our base in the constituency. The record is there to show. There is no doubt that a significant amount of work has been done in the last term so we expect that our record will prove true when we come to the polls on September 3," Vaz said.

 He first won the seat in a by-election following the death of Roger Clarke, then went on to retain the seat having won in the 2016 general election by a margin of 1,179 votes, polling 10,023 against George Wright of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), who managed to secure 8,844 votes. 

The Westmoreland Central constituency was created in 1959 and the PNP has laid hold to it for 52 years, winning 12 of the 14 elections held since then. While the JLP is responsible for the other 9 years, two elections in 1980 and 1983, respectively. 

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