Georgetown, Guyana – September 1, 2015 – By 11:00 a.m. on Election Day, five hours after polls opened across Guyana, voting was proceeding smoothly with only minor reports of delays, according to Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner Sase Gunraj.
Speaking to the media at St. John’s College, Gunraj said operations were largely on track and that earlier issues at some stations had already been addressed. “We’ve had a couple of reports of longer lines or slower processes, but by and large those have been resolved, and resolved pretty well,” he noted.
At St. John’s College, Gunraj observed presiding officers receiving and processing ballots from members of the Disciplined Services for intermixing, a procedure he described as being handled in an orderly manner. “Very smooth process all in all. No issues thus far,” he said.
Gunraj added that voter turnout varied across locations. While some stations were seeing steady participation, others, such as St. John’s College, had noticeably fewer voters by mid-morning. “There’s literally no one waiting here to vote,” he remarked, contrasting it with higher turnout observed elsewhere.
He used the opportunity to encourage citizens to take part in the democratic process. “People have a right to vote. It’s your duty to participate in the process, and I just encourage everyone to participate so that this day can be as successful as possible,” he urged.
