BATTLE GROUND SEATS: SOUTH WEST ST ELIZABETH - Hugh Buchanan (PNP) vs Floyd Green (JLP)

2011 GENERAL ELECTION RESULT

CONSTITUENCY TOTALS

Dr Christopher Tufton 9,440

Hugh Buchanan 9,453

Voter turnout: 68.41 per cent of 27,710

Ballots rejected: 63

When Hugh Buchanan won South West St Elizabeth on a People's National Party (PNP) ticket in 2011, he not only did so with the second lowest margin of victory in the constituency - 13 votes - but he made the Jamaica Labour Party's (JLP) Dr Christopher Tufton the first one-term member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency.

Created in 1959, the constituency has had six MPs - three each from JLP and PNP. When Charles Wright became the first MP, he did so by a whisker, securing victory by six votes over the PNP's E.V. Allen.

The three members of the JLP who have held the seat are Charles Wright (1959-1972), Derrick Sangster (1980-1989), and Tufton (2007-2011).

The three members of the PNP are: Mel Brown (1972-1980), Donald Buchanan (1989 to 2007) and Hugh Buchanan (2011 to present).

By winning the seat in 2011, Hugh Buchanan made a better political start than his late father, Donald, who was hammered in his first parliamentary contest in 1980.

In that election, Derrick Sangster polled 8,555 votes to beat Donald Buchanan who got 5,535.

In 2011, Tufton dropped 459 votes, polling 9,440, while Buchanan's 9,453 was 1,379 more than the PNP received in the previous election.

South West St Elizabeth has four divisions: Black River, Brompton, Mountainside and Pedro Plains. Any party that has won this seat has won the general election.

Currently, there are some 29,843 persons registered to vote in the constituency up from 27,710 in 2011.

 

WINNING MARGINS

 

- 1959 - 6 votes

JLP's Charles Wright over

PNP's E.V. Allen

• 1962 - 537 votes

JLP's Charles Wright over PNP's Winston Walters

• 1967 - 717 votes

JLP's Charles Wright over PNP's Harrington Crawford

• 1972 - 935 votes

PNP's Mel Brown over JLP's Charles Wright

• 1976 - 266 votes

PNP's Mel Brown over JLP's Derrick Sangster

• 1980 - 3,020 votes

JLP's Derrick Sangster over PNP's Donald Buchanan

• 1983 - Unopposed

JLP's Derrick Sangster

• 1989 - 1,001 votes

PNP's Donald Buchanan over JLP's Derrick Sangster

• 1993 - 418 votes

Donald Buchanan over JLP's Derrick Sangster

• 1997 - 710 votes

Donald Buchanan over JLP's Derrick Sangster

• 2002 - 110 votes

Donald Buchanan over JLP's Derrick Sangster

• 2007 - 1,825 votes

JLP's Christopher Tufton over PNP's Stanley Redwood

• 2011 - 13 votes

PNP's Hugh Buchanan over JLP's Christopher Tufton