Police thwarted what appears to be an attempt at vote-rigging last night at the Camptown Community Centre and arrested at least one person who tried to remove a ballot box from the location about two hours after the close of poll yesterday.
When this newspaper got to the scene, there was a heavy police presence and the precincts of the polling station were secured.
Preliminary information reaching this newspaper suggested that a polling day official at the location and the man who was arrested were the targets of an investigation into the incident. From all accounts, someone who had no business in the polling station after the close of poll was improperly allowed in and attempted to bribe a GECOM employee with a view to taking possession of a ballot box.
Speaking to Stabroek News at the scene of the incident, Simone Mangal, a board member of the Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) said that someone went into the polling station after the close of poll. She said further that the APNU polling agent saw an exchange between the GECOM official and the person who was allowed unfettered access to the compound. She said that the APNU raised an alarm and police arrested the man.
According to Mangal, people were told that the man was there to “assist with the counting” of the votes at the polling station.
One man who witnessed the incident said that the suspect had emerged from a car that had been parked outside the location and entered the polling station. He said that he and others helped to raise the alarm which led to the man’s eventual arrest. “He ain’t get to come out because we attack he right away,” said the man.
One woman related that she and others had noticed the car earlier and that it had driven away only to return. She said two men passing in another vehicle stopped, came out and talked to one of the men in the car. “When they come out and talk to him they hand he a envelope,” the woman said. “When we ask de man what he doin here he said he waiting on he wife,” she said.
“He come out and went to the fence and [someone] come and open the gate and allow de man to walk in,” she said. “[The APNU polling agent] go up the step and when she go up the step she peep down deh she see the man tek the envelope and pushing it in he pants crotch,” the woman said.
In addition to the observers from the EAB, persons from the Organisation of American States (OAS) observer mission were on the premises at the time the Police were conducting their investigations. When asked for a comment on the incident, the OAS observers declined, asking this newspaper to direct its queries to the Police.
In addition to this furore, residents two corners away near to the Redeemer Primary School shooed away newly minted PPP/C candidate Bishop Juan Edghill from the polling station located in that school. When this newspaper turned up at that polling station, Edghill was at the gate trying to make his way in but to no avail. Amidst loud cries of disgust from the residents in the area, the Bishop relented and left in his vehicle, which residents banged with their hands as it drove away.
Yesterday’s polls were marred by reports of attempts at disruption. Riot police had to be called out at some of the polling stations and were patrolling in vehicles and motorcycles.
