JLP hails ‘victory for rule of law’ after court rejects election challenge by Paul Buchanan

The ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to reject the application filed by the People’s National Party (PNP) candidate Paul Buchanan, who sought to overturn the election result for the St Andrew West Central constituency, won by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness in the September general election.

Buchanan had applied for permission to seek judicial review of the Constituted Authority’s decision not to petition the Election Court to void the results of the September 3 poll.

In delivering the ruling on Monday, Justice Sonya Wint-Blair held that the application was not arguable and suffered what she described as a “knock-out blow” in law. The court found that the mandatory statutory period for challenging the election results had expired, rendering the October 8 judicial review application futile.

The judge noted that even if the court were to grant orders compelling the Constituted Authority to refer the matter, the outcome would be void because the law prevents the court from extending the time prescribed by Parliament for such electoral challenges.

Reacting, the JLP, through the chairman of its communication taskforce, Senator Abka Fitz-Henley, charged that the decision is a victory for the rule of law and Jamaica’s electoral system.

Fitz-Henley argued that the decision is a blow to efforts to use the court system to advance what he called baseless allegations.

“Careful note should be taken of the willingness of the PNP to jeopardise Jamaica’s reputable democratic system with patently false allegations,” he said.

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