Fayval Williams earns her seat

Financial analyst and business-woman-turned-politician Fayval Williams dug deep into the trenches of St Andrew Eastern and was yesterday rewarded with a narrow victory over AndrÈ Hylton, denying the former People's National Party (PNP) member of parliament (MP) a second term.

Voters in St Andrew Eastern, which The Gleaner had identified as one of the battleground seats that could give one party the edge in the election, gave Williams the green light as she amassed 7,140 votes over Hylton's 6,983.

Williams, a newcomer to representational politics, reversed the PNP's advantage in the 2011 election when Hylton won by 254 votes.

She gave the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) a seat in a constituency where any party could have romped to victory based on the voting pattern of electors since 1944.

The two political parties have racked up six wins each since 1944, and Williams, who had expressed confidence in sending Hylton packing, managed to pull off the win, which gives the JLP an overall seven victories.

With sights now set on Gordon House, where the nation's Parliament resides, Williams will take her seat on the Government benches, where she is expected to make her mark as a lawmaker.

The first-time MP-elect had made it clear in an earlier interview with The Gleaner that she entered representational politics for the long haul, and pledged that if elected, she would make a significant and positive difference in the lives of the residents of St Andrew Eastern.

Williams is married with two children and she resides in the constituency she now serves.