Political Ombudsman Donna Parchment Brown says she hopes the candidates vying for the St. Andrew North West constituency are genuinely interested in politics and are not doing it for what she terms the likes.

Yesterday Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced March 5 as the date when voters will go to the polls to elect a new member of parliament for the constituency.

February 12 will be nomination day.

Former Jamaica Labour Party Senator, Ambassador Nigel Clarke is expected to represent the JLP, while Keisha Hayle, Principal of Padmore Primary school, will represent the People’s National Party.

Mrs. Parchment Brown says she hopes that when this election period is through, leaders for both political parties will be pleased with the proceedings.

In the meantime, the Political Ombudsman says the date for signing the political code of conduct has not yet been finalized.

She anticipates that this will be done shortly after February 12, nomination day.

Meanwhile, with another by election around the corner, Political Ombudsman Donna Parchment Brown says the code of political conduct needs to be strengthened.

She says a breach of the code of conduct, is not a breach of the law, because the code is not a legislative instrument.

Mrs. Parchment brown says strengthening the code would be beneficial to the Political Ombudsman’s office, as it is the main referral document used by the office.

She explains that the language of the political code of conduct will make it eligible to be passed into law.