Satirical Corner
The People’s National Party is to seek an injunction to have the 2020 General Elections declared null and void. In an affidavit filed with the Supreme Court, the party says that with a voting turnout of 37%, the will of the majority have not been fully expressed. The document pointed out that “the country’s voting population stands at 1.9 million, and since the majority of eligible voters did not cast a vote it therefore makes the outcome of our most recent general elections less than a true expression of the will of the Jamaican people”. In that regard, the party is of the view that “the seat counts should remain at the level prior to the 2020 elections, which would guarantee the PNP 29 seats”.
In a press briefing called to explain the party’s position, the presumptive leader said that “there are precedents for no winner to be declared if either of the parties failed to obtain a majority of the eligible voters”. While acknowledging that this should have been raised at the outcome of the 2016 General Elections, when fewer than 50% of the eligible voters cast their votes, the PNP president said that “the party was not prepared, this time, to overlook a situation that could threaten the essence of our democracy and pose a threat to public health”.
The leader added that while this is largely an issue of preserving our democratic traditions, the party could not overlook public health considerations and the implications for economic sustainability, which the 49-14 seat allocation poses. He said that “the previous parliamentary seat allocation was ideal to maintaining social distancing and containing the community spread of the coronavirus pandemic”.
