BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HEIGHTENED tensions prevailed in Monday’s (Jan. 25) General Elections in Constituency Number Five as both the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) and the People’s action Movement (PAM) fought busily to claim the seat.
After the 2004 General Elections, the constituency was represented by the PAM’s Shawn Richards, who outdid the SKNLP’s single term candidate Jacinth Henry-Martin. The 2010 Elections however saw a young medical doctor, Dr. Norgen Wilson, contesting the seat against incumbent Richards.
Polling began Monday around 7 a.m. at seven different stations across the constituency. The New Recreational Ground was the site of polling division 1, which had the largest number of allotted voters in Number Five. Voters began queuing long before polling commenced and within 15 minutes of the first cast vote, lines extended up to 120 persons. Voters braved the weather and remained in line despite heavy rains and an unpromising overcast.
The process seemed smooth and peaceful at divisions 2 at the Health Centre, 3 and 5A at the Sandy Point Police Station and 4 at the Austin Woodley Building, but voters at polling division 1 were very heated throughout the day.
The first set of complaints rolled in around 9 a.m. when voters, who had been in line since 6:30, had not seen any movement in the lines. One first time voter complained that he had stood over four hours in line before being able to cast his vote.
“It is really discouraging. I was here by 7:10 this morning and I got into the polling room a little before 11:45. They should have had more than one station so that things could go faster,” he said.
Voters in the division stated that there had always been only one box used in the division, but noted that the 2010 election was the longest they had ever had to wait.
The peace was also disturbed when a number of police officers were seen carrying a ballot box into the polling station. Lines broke up as voters gathered around the entrance to the polling room.
One of the observers from the NGO Coalition, however, attempted to allay concerns by explaining that the lid of one of the ballot boxes used in the process was broken and had to be replaced. He added that no ballots were placed in the broken box and voters were able to observe the empty box as returning officer Dr. Hermia Morton-Anthony carried it away from the polling site.
One of the major sources of conflict during Election Day was voters alleged to be living in other constituencies coming to Constituency Number Five to vote. In the early morning, voters could be heard giving their opinions on whether or not such individuals should be allowed to vote in a constituency where they have never lived.
One angry voter yelled, “They are not voting here and they will not decide who will represent me! Is long time we waiting for them!”
By late morning, police and army presence had been doubly intensified and over 10 heavily armed security personnel were deployed on the grounds to maintain order.
In the early afternoon, leader of the SKNLP Dr. Denzil Douglas arrived on the grounds and was greeted with mixed emotions. Police personnel were then ordered to clear the premises of the people who had already voted so those who had not had a chance would be able to.
Polling went on until late in the night and scores of voters decided to stay until the last vote was cast. Though polls officially closed at 6 p.m., it was not until around 10:15 p.m. that the ballot boxes were removed from the polling stations and transported to the Sandy Point Police Station for counting. Crowds of party supporters and first-time voters followed the transported boxes in their vehicles and on foot.
Although the day was long and there were a number of disturbances, Monday’s Elections saw no reported cases of violence.
