THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has been praised by many voters in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) for staging very smooth Local Government Elections.Checks and reports revealed that all polling stations opened on time; voting commenced on time, and was done relatively quickly.

Voters said they had thought the process would have been confusing, but were relieved, on receiving the ballot paper, to find that voting was in fact very simple.

“It was like voting at the national elections, and I appreciated the simplicity of the system,” one elderly woman said.
Many who voted couldn’t agree more.

There were no complaints of irregularities at any of the polling stations, nor was there any instance of voters being intimidated.

Participation, however, was low. Physical checks at most of the polling stations revealed that there was neither line nor build up persons waiting to vote during the course of the day. Most polling stations looked relatively deserted, with an occasional voter showing up every 15 minutes or so.

Near close of poll, some unofficial observers who were close to the process in various parts of the region said that participation in the voting amounted to about 50 per cent of eligible voters, with the remaining percentage choosing not to vote.