Politics
Errol Miller stepping down as Electoral Commission of Jamaica head
Outgoing Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica., Prof Errol Miller
Professor Errol Miller is stepping down as the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.
Miller is expected to hand in his resignation to Governor General Sir Patrick Allen at the end of December, ending a 12-year run that has seen an electoral system transformed from being fraught with corruption of varying degrees, political intimidation and violence to one of the best in the world today.
Miller, a source said, had in September declared to members during a meeting of the commission his intent to resign, which is coming a year before his tenure is due to end.
A source said yesterday that commission member Dr Herbert Thompson, the former president of the Manchester-based Northern Caribbean University, was tipped to replace Miller as head of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.
Jamaica has worked hard to rid the electoral system of corruption, including the stuffing of ballots and the nagging issue of persons voting for others, which has seen over-voting in some so-called garrison constituencies.
Miller noted in a recent interview with the Jamaica Information Service that the country can be proud of its electoral system, which, he said, has improved significantly since Universal Adult Suffrage in 1944.
