People's Partnership meets EBC, complains about irregularities

Jack Warner on Thuirsdasy held what he called a "productive and successful meeting" with members of the Elections and Boundaries (EBC) under the Chairmanship of Dr Norbert Masson.

Warner was accompanied by Roy Augustus, Chairman of the Congress of the People (COP) and Fyard Hosein, Legal Adviser to the People's Partnership.

The political team raised concerns about inmates voting at the three major prisons on Tuesday last without the direct supervision of the EBC and without any advice being given to the People's Partnership to be represented.

Warner said the delegation advised the EBC that in some cases prisoners were offered a remission of their sentences if they voted "for the political party opposed to the People's Partnership."

The delegation from the People's Partnership raised a number of other issues with the EBC, including concerns about voting eligibility, voter padding, canvassing in breach of elections regulations, missing names from the voters' list, the delay in distributing poll cards and "intimidation, thuggery and violence" on polling day.

The delegation later met with Deputy Police Commissioner Gilbert Reyes to identify "the issues of harassment, intimidation of persons and disruption of polling on voting day."

Warner told JYOTI the delegation suggested a number of "unique measures that will enhance the security in the constituencies, render the Police Service more proactive and to promote voting for all citizens in a safer environment."

The details of the issues raised with the EBC are listed below:

• Eligibility to vote: It is of concern to us that sometimes personnel from political parties are allowed to enter and remain for long periods in the offices of registration officers of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) during polling day. This is done ostensibly to inquire into whether persons whose names do not appear on the revised or supplemental lists are eligible to vote

• Gated communities and voter padding: We remain concerned about the high incidence of registration in Government sponsored housing projects, especially in marginal constituencies. Some of these communities are gated and therefore in the short time available since the issuance of the Writs of Election, we are unable to do a sufficiently comprehensive check of voters in these areas
• Canvassing in the precincts of the polling station: It has become a feature of polling day activity that there is unlawful canvassing in the precincts of the polling station and that voters are subjected to intimidation and harassment
• Absence of names from the lists: Whilst you appreciate that this General Election was called unexpectedly, we continue to discover in our canvassing that many electors who were previously registered to vote and who have not changed their place of residence have had their names deleted from the lists of electors
• Poll cards: We have had reports throughout the country of persons who are not yet in receipt of their poll cards and we would have preferred if these poll cards would have been issued earlier, especially the registered electors whose eligibility to vote was not disputatious
• Intimidation, thuggery and violence on polling day: We are alert to the fact that historically in many of the marginal constituencies there has been a systematic attempt to disrupt polling day activities by persons in vehicles or on foot and in some instances armed