Tuesday, November 6 2007

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VOTES WASHOUT: After exercising his franchise, this voter tries to wash off as much of the voters' ink as possible to prevent it staining his clothing...

PARAMEDICS were called in yesterday morning at one of the polling stations at Agostini Settlement Kabir Panth School in Chase Village, Chaguanas after an unidentified man collapsed after standing several hours in line waiting to vote.

The man who was said to be in his 60s was reportedly among several voters made to wait for almost three hours in line without being able to vote. However, the man who was given first aid, recovered sufficiently to cast his vote before being whisked away in an EHS ambulance for further treatment.

One irate voter told Newsday: “That should have never happened but they sent people who weren’t properly trained to work in the polling station and that caused the line to move real slow and create a backup.”

She explained that the elderly man had arrived in the line at 6 am. “But up to almost 9 o’clock he still standing same place.”

Yesterday, several polling stations in Couva North saw long early morning lines — the constituency of Couva North is being contested by incumbent UNC MP Basdeo Panday, COP Hulsie Bhaggan and PNM Nal Ramsingh.

Several of the polling stations visited by Newsday yesterday morning saw a steady stream of voters including many first timers and disabled entering to cast their ballots. Police officers posted at the various polling stations reported that voting was conducted peacefully.