Bahamas News
FNM and DNA raise red flags over security of ballot boxes
Bahamas, May 10, 2017 – Nassau – FREE National Movement (FNM) Chairman Sidney Collie yesterday declared that his party’s “red flag is waving” after an inspection revealed that ballot boxes containing hundreds of votes from the advanced poll were “poorly” sealed, and for one constituency left unsealed.
Recalling the chaotic scenes from last week’s early poll, Mr. Collie stressed that he was not making an allegation against the Parliamentary Registration Department but a call-to-arms for poll workers, candidates and the wider voting public to be vigilant as votes are cast across the country today.
He underscored that all 39 ballot boxes were locked with their slots covered, and kept in the basement of the Parliamentary Registration Department in a safe room with a steel door and multiple locks.
“With regard to the sealing of the boxes,” Mr. Collie said in an interview at the party’s headquarters, “many of them were poorly sealed. The wax was badly, roughly, quickly done. The taping around many of them were sloppy. They were all locked and the slot for the ballot was all covered over.”
Representatives from the FNM, Progressive Liberal Party, and the Democratic National Alliance were allowed to inspect the ballot boxes yesterday due to allegations circulated on Facebook by DNA candidate for Pinewood Lincoln Bain that the boxes were not being kept in a secure location.
Mr. Bain recorded a brief video at the start of yesterday’s inspection, which he then uploaded to Facebook. He gestured to several boxes that had been wrapped with tape that appear to be fraying or unsealed.
“What is my take on that?” Mr. Collie asked. “My take on that was speculation, but I believe plausible speculation. The parliamentary team was so much under pressure on the pre-poll day, they were so disorganised, they probably were flustered and almost in every case they did a very poor job of securing the box.
“I’m not making any allegations against them,” he continued, “I’m just saying from what I saw the boxes were not properly sealed. I mean if I’m doing my luggage I do a better job than that.”
As voting began early this morning, Elizabeth and Sea breeze faced technical problems.
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