EBC reports low voter turn-out in the South

SLOW casting of ballots, characterised voting in South Trinidad during yesterday’s Local Government Elections. Shortly after midday, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) reported a remarkably low voter-turnout in most parts of the country, particularly South Trinidad. However, voting went without any major hitches. In the nine electoral districts of San Fernando, voter turnout was reported to be the lowest. Returning Officer Joshua Sam supervising the Marabella (East/West) and Vistabella districts, told Newsday that at 10.30 am yesterday, only between six to eight percent of the electorate in those districts had cast their ballots. There was a steady trek of voters, however, around mid afternoon. At the YWCA building on Harris Promenade, another polling division headquarters, Returning Officer, Merle Baird, said voting was done at a snail’s pace in the electoral districts of Pleasantville, Cocoyea, Mon Repos, Navet and Tarouba. These districts are under the ambit of the San Fernando City Corporation.

Around 3 pm, Returning Officer, Edison Ramdeen, said that the pace of voting indicated that stations under his control in the districts of  Les Efforts/La Romaine, Cipero and Springvale were expected to close polling at a mere 40 per cent. “Voting was not too heavy and it looks like just 40 percent would turn out by 6 pm,” Ramdeen said. High-profile United National Congress candidate (Tarouba/Cocoyea) Dr Anirudh Mahabir, expressed confidence around mid-afternoon that he would win.  Mahabir said that by 3 pm, 2,205 votes were cast from an electorate of approximately 3,000. “That represents 60 per cent of the electorate. A high-voter turnout favours me,” Mahabir said. EBC’s public relations manager Vilpah King, told Newsday yesterday that voting was suspended in Claxton Bay for a brief period because of what she described as a mix-up with ballot papers. However EBC officials dealt with the problem within minutes. “I must say that in general, the voting was slow, though steady at times,” King said. King confirmed complaints made by UNC officials of mock stations in the San Juan district erected within 100 yards radius of a polling station. Nariva MP Harry Partap reported a similar situation in Biche, where he complained of a PNM banner stuck to a mock polling station.