Voting for a new government in Vanuatu has ended

Voting in Vanuatu has ended and all polling stations throughout the archipelago have confirmed encountering little or no issues at all since opening their doors at 7.30am.

Official closing time was 4.30pm and major polling stations.

Common issues reportedly faced in most polling stations were the name of a voter did not match that in the electoral roll, or was nowhere to be found on the electoral list.

Some polling stations have seen a good turnout while others have reported poor results. For example, one polling station with over 3, 000 registered voters has witnessed 18 percent of the turnout an hour and a half before closing time at 4.30pm. But the exact figure of the total registered voters may not be known after the Electoral office has confirmed it has not deleted the names of deceased persons from the electoral list.

The disabled and the very elderly people were seen driven to the polling stations and assisted by the polling officers to cast their votes. In one incident an elderly person was assisted by polling officers to vote where he was sitting inside a vehicle that parked close to the polling booth.

Police officers who were posted in the polling stations to ensure security had very little or nothing to do. Registered voters cast their votes in peace.

So far, smaller polling stations have completed counting the votes cast and filing their unofficial results through live broadcast on Radio Vanuatu and Capital FM 107. From the unofficial results heard so far, it is likely some big names in Vanuatu politics may no longer be part of the new eleventh legislature of Vanuatu. Full counting from the small polling stations will be made known through unofficial results tonight.

There is an increase in voters for this election despite those who have turned 18 since mid-year 2015 missing out on inclusion. The increase occurs because normal registration proceeded until mid-year. 200,159 voters are registered this time compared with just over 192,000 for the last national election in 2012.

Official counting is about to begin in polling stations that have not yet started and many constituencies will be making their unofficial results known tonight.

 

 

     

Author: 
Harold Obed