The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

SEVERAL incumbent MPs retained their seats with stronger vote totals than they secured in 2021, even as unofficial tallies from Tuesday’s general election showed the Coalition of Independents running competitively with the FNM in many New Providence seats.

The unofficial figures reviewed by The Tribune showed several PLP and FNM incumbents increasing their raw vote totals compared to the last general election, while COI candidates also improved their numbers in constituency after constituency.

In Elizabeth, incumbent Progressive Liberal Party MP JoBeth Coleby-Davis secured 2,308 votes across 14 polling divisions, defeating Free National Movement candidate Heather Hunt, who received 1,285 votes.

Mrs Coleby-Davis’ tally was a significant increase from 2021, when she received 1,893 votes and defeated then-incumbent FNM MP Dr Duane Sands, who received 1,516 votes.

COI support also grew in Elizabeth. Donna Dorset Major received 544 votes, more than double the 204 votes Cara Ellis received for the party in the constituency in 2021.

In Bamboo Town, Patricia Deveaux retained her seat, defeating FNM chairman Dr Sands. Mrs Deveaux received 1,716 votes across 17 polling divisions, while Dr Sands received 1,352.

Her total was slightly below the 1,790 votes she received in 2021, when she defeated Renward Wells, who received 1,145 votes. COI candidate Maria Daxon, who also ran in Bamboo Town in 2021, saw her tally rise from 378 votes to 677.

In Englerston, Glenys Hanna Martin retained her seat for the sixth consecutive time, receiving 1,913 votes across ten polling divisions. Her total was down from the 2,249 votes she received in 2021, but she still easily outpaced FNM candidate Heather McDonald, who received 348 votes, and COI candidate Faith Percentie, who received 385 votes. The FNM’s tally in Englerston fell from 498 votes in 2021, while the COI again more than doubled its support. Ms Percentie, who also contested the seat in 2021, received 163 votes that year.

In St Anne’s, FNM candidate Adrian White retained his seat with 2,346 votes across 16 polling divisions, up from 2,007 votes in 2021. PLP candidate Keno Wong received 1,402 votes, an increase from the 1,253 votes Christopher Saunders received for the PLP in 2021. COI candidate Graham Weatherford received 346 votes, nearly double the 172 votes Shaniese Miller received in 2021.

In Sea Breeze, Leslia Miller-Brice also increased her vote total, receiving 2,911 votes. In 2021, she received 2,448 votes. For the FNM, Trevania Clarke-Hall received 929 votes this year, down from the 1,090 votes Maxine Seymour received in 2021. COI candidate William Knowles received 565 votes, a significant increase from the 276 votes Ann Marie Glinton-Rolle received in 2021.

The pattern of stronger incumbent totals also appeared in Grand Bahama, based on unofficial tallies reviewed by The Tribune.

In East Grand Bahama, FNM incumbent Kwasi Thompson received 2,342 votes across 20 polling divisions, up from 2,090 votes in 2021. PLP candidate Monique Pratt received 1,912 votes, an increase from the 1,686 votes James Rolle-Turner secured for the PLP in 2021. COI candidate Dexter Edwards received 498 votes, up from the 372 votes Albertha Cooper received for the party in 2021.

In Marco City, FNM leader Michael Pintard received 2,534 votes, up from 2,340 in 2021. His PLP opponent, Edward “Wham” Fields II, received 1,399 votes, below the 2,021 votes PLP candidate Curt Hollingsworth received in 2021. COI candidate Jillian Bartlett received 365 votes, an increase from the 298 votes Crystal Smith received in 2021.