Romario Scott/Gleaner Writer

Mark Golding, the St Andrew South member of parliament, has been elected the sixth president of the People’s National Party (PNP).

Golding amassed 1,740 votes to clinch victory.

His challenger, Lisa Hanna, polled 1,444 in an electon where 96 per cent of delegates turned out to vote.

The results of today’s presidential election were announced at the PNP’s 89 Old Hope Road headquarters a short while ago. Voting, however, ended just after 3 p.m.

More than 3,300 delegates were eligible to vote in today’s election. Golding’s victory means he will replace Dr Peter Phillips as president of the PNP and leader of the Opposition.

It’s a turn of fortunes for the former justice minister, who only last year was the chairman of Peter Bunting’s Rise United camp, which lost a similar presidential contest to Phillip’s OnePNP team by 76 votes.

Golding’s political stocks soared as a contender for leadership after Bunting, the heir apparent to Phillips, lost his Manchester Central seat in the September 3, 2020 general election.

Critics of the so-called Risers alleged that Golding would operate as a proxy of Bunting’s, but Golding denied that claim.

Golding was able to build a critical mass of support from both the Rise United and OnePNP factions, even convincing Phillips backer Patricia Duncan Sutherland to become his campaign spokesperson.

Golding told journalists earlier that he had “no worries whatsoever” that he would not have been able to win in today’s contest.

.@JamaicaPNP presidential contender @MarkJGolding has emphasised that unity will be a priority if he is victorious in today's election. Golding was speaking with members of the media at the Mico University College this morning. Full video: https://t.co/v3papBIvF7 #PNPvotes pic.twitter.com/fmRtZJtEDE

— Jamaica Gleaner (@JamaicaGleaner) November 7, 2020

The attorney-at-law said he campaigned on a unity platform to rebuild the party’s base amid a 14-49 landslide defeat in September’s polls to Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ Jamaica Labour Party. “

We need to do more for our party workers and help motivate them and the need for a leader who can attract not just our base but also the wider population to our party,” said Golding, adding that the PNP needed to become a more inclusive and engaging party.

Hanna’s second taste of defeat

This is Lisa Hanna’s second major defeat in a PNP contest. Hanna had previously run for vice-president of the PNP in 2017 while calling for renewal after the party was beaten at the February 2016 polls.

This time around, she ran on a promise to bring back love into the PNP. Her campaign was led by Natalie Neita as campaign manager and Donna Scott Mottley as chairperson.

However, she was lambasted for failing to salve years-long wounds in her St Ann South East constituency where influential personalities openly criticised her as a divisive force.

Hanna voted at the Brown’s Town Community College in St Ann where she was based for the election.

When the polls opened at 10 o’clock this morning, there was a steady stream of delegates who made their way to the voting stations at 12 locations across the island amid light but consistent rainfall.

Norman Minott, chairman of the PNP appeals and monitoring committee, said that the day went smoothly despite the rain.

“We are glad that we organised things properly and spread out the registration area and made it different from the voting area,” Minott told The Gleaner.

In Kingston, both teams had their camps close to The Mico University College as they kept a close watch on the day’s proceedings.

The Hanna camp was based at Wolmer's Boys’ School while Golding's supporters were at the parking lot across from the L.P. Azar building.

romario.scott@gleanerjm.com

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