The National Election Watch (NEW) has in a press release put out on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, said that only 46.0% of voters participated in constituency 005 parliamentary bye-election in Kailahun district, and 39.9% in the bye-election in constituency 073 in Port Loko district.
The percentages shows that only 9,100 votes were cast out of 19,775 registered voters in constituency 005, and 7,159 votes were also cast out of 17,945 registered voters in constituency 073.
NEW also reported that several voters went to some polling stations for identification with expired voter Identification Cards, photocopied Identification Cards and National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) registration slips to vote in both constituencies, but after they were educated on which document to present, some of them went and brought the valid voter Identification cards.
NEW also observed that polling stations were opened on time in both constituencies and polling station staff were mainly young people with a fair balance of male and female, but polling centre managers (PCM) were mostly males.
It was also reported that voting materials including ballot boxes, ballot papers, seals, voting booths, Voter Registers, ECSL stamp, indelible ink and Results Reconciliation Forms (RRFs) were available in all polling stations. Tactile ballot guides were also available in most polling stations.
NEW admonished all political parties, Political parties Registration Commission (PPRC) and the security apparatus to ensure that political “heavyweights” continue to stay away from polling centres in order to minimize incidents of violence and to ensure peaceful elections.
It was recommended that EC-SL should review the distances between polling centres to enable more people easily access the polling centres.
By George M.O. Williams