Voters furious in District#11

Electorates at the New Life Ministry polling center in Electoral District #11, Montsrrado County have expressed dissatisfaction over slow-pace start by poll workers from the National Elections Commission or NEC during Tuesday’s polls in the district, lamenting that they woke up very early and went to polling centers to exercise their constitutional rights, but were constrained to queue in the hot sun for hours due to late arrival of polling materials.

Speaking to this paper, a mother with a one-month-old baby, Musu Karngbo, explains that she and her baby were in the queue up to 10 a.m. yesterday, and the process had not started.

“I am going home to breastfeed my son; I have other children to take care of at home, that’s why I came sooner to vote and go back to take care of my children”, Madam Karngbo expresses in anger.

“I am disappointed in NEC, I came to vote for my country, let these people stop doing these things to us in this country, we want peace”, she continues in an outburst.

Another aggrieved voter, Jacob Zarbay, similarly complains that woke up early to vote, but the process delayed and eventually started at 10 a.m. “They should get ready to close the polling station at 10 p.m.”, he protests

He notes that polling staffs were trained and they should know their job and should have started in time.

Another District#11 resident, Frank Johnson says he was at the polling center at 4a.m. because he knew that the place was going to be congested.

Johnson continues that in spite of the delay, he was waiting patiently to cast his vote, blaming the National Elections Commission for the inconvenience.

However, one polling staff, who refused to be identified, explains that they already had some equipment at the center, and were awaiting the final voter roll that would enable electorates to vote.

The New Life Ministry polling center in Distric#11 was in complete disarray as impatient voters left the queue in protest of the delay with some saying they would not return to vote because they were disappointed.

By Ethel A. Tweh-Editing by Jonathan Browne