By Vanessa Braithwaite

Despite not being designated an official holiday, the atmosphere in Linden can be described as quiet and the voting ratio as very poor. As the Guyana Chronicle visited several polling stations across the town, not a single queue was observed and as the day progressed, the staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) seemed bored and unoccupied.

It was also observed and posited by several staff members that the support from youths was unsatisfactory as many of the voters were middle aged and the elderly. This was compared to the noticeable voter turnout at the 2015 Regional and General Elections where the youths were the main supporters.

The Guyana Chronicle saw many elderly voters making an earnest effort to support the elections; most having to depend on a walking stick or a younger person. An elderly man, Terry Aterly who braved the heat of the sun, made a special effort to demonstrate his democratic right even though he had to be assisted by a family member in addition to his walking stick. He said that he is extremely happy that after 22 years he can now vote at the Local Government Elections.

“I feel overwhelmed because the younger generation can get to experience real governance,” he shared.

It was also observed that Mackenzie had more residents turning out to vote than at Wismar and Amelia’s Ward. This newspaper visited Polling Stations at the Mackenzie Sports Club, Mackenzie High School and Regma Primary School where it was reported by Gecom staff that the voter turnout was average.

Despite this disappointment it was posited by many party and independent group observers, Gecom staff, voters and the police at the many of the 74 polling stations that the process can be deemed smooth and successful.

This excludes limited hiccups on the Wismar shore at polling stations at Burnham Drive, Blueberry Hill and Watooka where a few persons voted under oath without identification or with their old identification cards.

At many of the polling stations, there was absence of observers representing the two independent groups, Ambassadors for Progress and Linden 2015; however all of the stations had observers for the contesting political parties, APNU+AFC and PPP.

Ambassadors for Progress Mayoral Hopeful, Norris King who at Linden Foundation Secondary cast his vote at 6:00 hrs, told this publication that he is pleased with the professionalisms and efficiency of Gecom’s staff and the process; however is disappointed with the voter turnout especially on behalf of the youths.

“I think the voter turnout is kind of disappointing put I have faith in the youths and I believe that as the day wears on, younger people will pick up the momentum and come out,” he said.

Joy James, a young woman who opted not to vote said that she does not really understand the process and was not fully ignited by what was promised during the campaign trail.

The Guyana Chronicle also observed  APNU+AFC candidate for constituency 1, Elize Hall, proportional representative candidate for APNU+AFC, Devin Sears and Region 10’s Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira who also played a role in assisting the infirmed and elderly to polling stations.

Figueira told this publication that he welcomes this democratic renewal as during his teens and early twenty’s, he and a generation of countless youths were denied the right to exercise their franchise and in extension denied from making meaningful contributions to community development.

“This is another historic day and a victory for all Guyanese and the Granger administration should be applauded for respecting the constitutional rights of the citizens of our country,” he articulated.

Linden is comprised of eight constituencies; two political parties and two independent groups are contesting to have a majority on the municipality council. These are Ambassadors for Progress, Linden 2025, APNU+AFC and PPP. The municipality was managed by an Interim Management Committee for 13 years with Orin Gordon acting as chairman. The last Mayor of Linden was Stanley Smith.