WESTERN BUREAU:

After more than four weeks of going back and forth between the Lucea Resident Magistrate's Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, Resident Magistrate for Hanover, George Burton, is expected to declare a winner for the Eastern Hanover seat tomorrow.

People's National Party candidate Dr. D.K. Duncan and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) candidate Barrington Gray have been before the Lucea RM Court since September 31 this year after Mr. Gray was declared the winner by nine votes in the September 3 polls.

Re-examination

However, after a magisterial recount, Dr. Duncan was reported to be the winner by 12 votes prompting Gray to ask for a re-examination of the recount.

According to attorney-at-law Clayton Morgan, one of the lawyers representing Dr. Duncan, he received a notice from the Lucea RM Court stating that all relevant parties in the matter attend court on Thursday at 10 a.m.

He said the bone of contention has been the rejection of some 84 ballots, 58 for Mr. Gray and 26 for Dr. Duncan. He said that his team had submitted that all 84 votes be rejected as the relevant numbers on the ballots and the presiding officer's signatures were missing and therefore did not meet the legal requirements of a bona fide ballot.