THEY cued the lines at the polling stations from as early as 4:00 hrs yesterday, eager to exercise their constitutional rights; and it was one of the smoothest electoral processes ever experienced in the mining town of Linden.

“We ain’t gat time fuh nansense!” some told the Chronicle.

Linden recorded eager participation in the national polls of 2015, which many are calling one of the closest elections ever to be held in Guyana.

There were no reports of unruly voters nor of disorderly behaviours at the polling stations, and other than a few queries from respective party agents in regard to eligibility of some voters — which were quickly resolved — Lindeners can safely say it was, for them, a ‘peaceful day’ at the polls.

Linden, said to be a stronghold of the APNU+AFC coalition, experienced a high turnout of voters, with polling clerks stating that almost 90% of persons registered were able to cast their ballots.

Although GECOM had not put in place any system to cater to their needs, disabled persons were given priority to vote by the electorate.

Observers from the Commonwealth, OAS, UNASUR, CARICOM and other teams were visibly meticulous in carrying out their duty at polling stations across Linden.

“I think this is one of the smoothest elections I’ve witnessed in a long time,” said one observer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Generally, it’s obvious that people in Linden were very helpful to each other, and there seems to be no sense of bias for any party. I think it’s because the people deal with each on a daily basis, and seemed to have educated each other on the voting process and guidelines used by GECOM this time around,” the observer said.

The international observer said the team of observers was astonished at the amount of youth voters who turned out across Linden. “The youths were very peaceful. They came, helped the elderly; and I think Guyana should be proud — at least here in Linden — of how this election was run, (considering) the respect the people in the community had given to it throughout the day”.

Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon told the Chronicle: “We (had) smooth elections. People came out to the polls early, and you find that most of the polling stations were basically finished by 4pm.

“People came in their numbers, and everything was done in an orderly manner. I think the push everyone made to get out and vote, irrespective of which party you’re supporting, seemed to work,” Solomon confided.

By Rawle Toney